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Fire breaks out at Beirut's port after last month's deadly explosion

The fire is in the same area as the Aug. 4 port explosion from which Lebanon is still recovering.

BEIRUT, LEBANON - SEPTEMBER 10: An aerial view of the black smoke following a fire that erupted in Beirut Port’s Free Zone on September 10, 2020 in Beirut, Lebanon. The fire broke out in a structure in the city's heavily damaged port facility, the site of last month's explosion that killed more than 190 people. (Photo by Haytham Al Achkar/Getty Images)
An aerial view of the black smoke following a fire that erupted in Beirut Ports Free Zone on Sept. 10, 2020 in Beirut, Lebanon. — Haytham Al Achkar/Getty Images

Another fire in Beirut prompted panic on Thursday. The Beirut port explosion that killed nearly 200 people in the city was only a little over a month ago.

This time, a large fire broke out in a warehouse in Beirut port’s duty-free zone. The warehouse stored tires, the state-run National News Agency reported.

Videos obtained by Lebanese media outlets showed a massive blaze that created even bigger clouds of black smoke. Both civil defense firefighters and the Lebanese army are working to extinguish the flames and using helicopters to shoot water down from above, the Lebanese army said in a statement.

On Aug. 4, a massive blast ripped through the Beirut port when some 2,700 tons of the fertilizer ammonium nitrate caught fire and exploded. The investigation and search for the missing continue.

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