The Independent: Firefighters of Beirut were not given the location or the keys to the burning hanger

According to sources from the Lebanese capital’s fire department who spoke to The Independent, firefighters who responded to the fire at the port in Beirut last Tuesday were not given the location or the keys to the burning warehouse holding 2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate.

Fire department officials of Beirut informed the Independent’s Bel Trew that the 10 fire crew members, including one female firefighter, who arrived on the scene were not given much information, delaying their response to contain the initial fire prior to the stockpile of ammonium nitrate exploding in a second larger blast.

Fadi Mazboudi, a fire department chief, informed the Independent: If they had the hangar door open already, if they knew where they were going, they might have had moments to control the fire. So you would not have had the first initial explosion that triggered the larger blast.

It should be noted that over 150 people were killed and more than 6,000 others were wounded in the Beirut last Tuesday when a warehouse storing 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate exploded after catching on fire.

In the same context, Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab declared his resignation Monday after that thousands of protesters gathered in the streets of Beirut in the days after the huge explosion. Furthermore, since the explosion, 300,000 people in Beirut became homeless after the big second explosion that destroyed large parts in the capital.