A Lebanese Civil Defense truck. (Credit: Facebook/@CivildefenseLB)
BEIRUT — Sightings of black smoke rising over the Qasqas area of Beirut on Monday afternoon led to reports of an explosion and fire in the area, sparking panic among residents of Beirut. However, security forces spokespersons give conflicting reports of the nature of the incident, with the Internal Security Forces denying that any explosion took place.
Here’s what we know:
• Several news outlets reported a fire that escalated into an explosion as dark smoke rose over the Qasqas area on Monday afternoon.
• A spokesperson for the Internal Security Forces told L’Orient Today that the source of the smoke was the burning of car tires on a roadside in Qasqas. He affirmed that no explosion had taken place and that information to the contrary was based on rumors.
• However, a spokesperson for the Lebanese Army told L’Orient Today that a small explosion had indeed taken place in a private generator fuel tank, causing the subsequent black smoke. Material damage was recorded in the area, the spokesperson added.