REUTERS

A store of oil and tyres at Beirut port burst into flames on Thursday but there were no immediate reports of injuries, a little more than a month after a massive blast devastated the port and surrounding residential area of the Lebanese capital.

The army said it was not immediately clear why the oil and tyres had erupted in flames and said it was sending helicopters to help bring the fire under control. Television footage showed a helicopter dropping water on the blaze, Reuters wrote.

The blaze erupted in the duty free zone of the port, sending a huge column of smoke above a city still traumatised by the explosion on Aug. 4 that killed about 190 people and injured 6,000 people.

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Read alsoOne Ukrainian citizen killed in massive Beirut explosion – Ukraine's embassyThe head of Lebanon's Red Cross, George Kettaneh, said there was no fear of another explosion as a result of the flames and said there were no injuries, although he said there were some people suffering from shortness of breath as a result.

Television footage showed firefighters trying to douse the blaze in an area surrounded by the mangled remains of warehouses that were destroyed in the explosion last month.

The blast was caused by a huge store of ammonium nitrate that had been kept at the port in poor condition for years.

Beirut blast: background

  • A powerful explosion of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate at a seaport warehouse in Beirut on August 4 brought massive devastation to the city.
  • The batch of highly explosive material had been stored for six years with no proper safety measure put in place.
  • The explosion destroyed the port and caused major damage to a significant part of the city. Lebanese authorities have declared the capital a disaster area.
  • The death toll has reached about 190, while nearly 6,000 people were injured.
  • Another 110 people are still reported missing.