Fire Erupts in Building in Beirut’s Commercial District

By Staff, Agencies

A major fire erupted in Beirut on Tuesday, hitting the downtown commercial district. Numerous videos showing the flames and a cloud of smoke were uploaded by witnesses on social media.

Reuters cited a civil defense official in reporting that the latest fire has been extinguished.

At the moment, there is no official information about the causes of the fire or possible victims.

According to media, the landmark building, engulfed in flames, had been designed by the late British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid.

Just a few days ago, another major fire occurred in the port of Lebanon's capital, which was previously devastated by a giant blast in August that claimed lives of 190 people. August's deadly blast was caused by the detonation of several tons of ammonium nitrate, an explosive fertilizer, which had been stored at the port for several years.