A huge fire broke out at the Bourj Hammoud-Dora landfill site early on Thursday evening, engulfing the nearby areas of Dora, Karantina, Ashrafieh and Jal al-Dib with thick smoke.
Beirut firefighters and civil defense teams worked all night to prevent the fire from spreading, in a challenging operation due to the nature of the landfill site.
🚨 A fire has erupted in the Bourj Hammoud landfill near the Beirut River, with thick black smoke spreading over Dora, Karantina and Jal al-Dib. The smoke raises concerns about potential toxicity, as the fire has been burning for at least two hours.
#Beirut #FireAlert pic.twitter.com/SgiOhRbL97— This is Beirut (@ThisIsBeirut_) September 12, 2024
The priority was to prevent the flames from getting any closer to the petrol tanks in Dora, not far from Bourj Hammoud. The caretaker Minister of Interior, Bassam Mawlawi, who was closely monitoring the fire extinguishing operations, has asked the Director of Civil Defense, Raymond Khattar, to send reinforcements to the site. He has also asked the Governor of Mount Lebanon, Mohammad Makkawi, to send trucks loaded with sand to speed up these operations.
Additionally, Judge Makkawi contacted Judge Marwan Abboud, the Governor of Beirut, to coordinate a unified response. Governor Abboud promptly instructed the Beirut Fire Brigade to prioritize controlling and extinguishing the fire, emphasizing the need for swift action to protect the affected communities.
