Outgoing Economy Minister Amin Salam (R) on a tour of the Beirut port on July 14, 2022. (Credit: Anwar Amro/AFP)
BEIRUT — Opposition MPs Najat Aoun (Saliba) and Mark Daou visited the Beirut port silos after a series of fires broke out, the MPs’ party, Taqaddom, announced on Twitter.
Here’s what we know:
• “The two MPs closely inspected the fires at the silos, noting that certain regions keep burning because of the heat and the fermented wheat,” while they also said that “the gasses present do not constitute a health risk for the area’s inhabitants.”
• The two MPs found extinguishing the fire to be “difficult” but opposed using it as “a pretext to demolish the silent witness [a name given to the silos by different civil society groups] to the Aug. 4 crime (the Beirut port blast in 2020) against the will of the people and the blast victims.”
• Caretaker Economy Minister Amin Salam during a visit to the site told local news Al Jadeed that “fires will continue as long as wheat remains,” while noting that the wheat maintained the stability of the silos which “if emptied, could collapse.” As for the possibility of extinguishing the fires via helicopters, Salam said it could “spread the fire inside the silos,” creating additional danger. “We’re not saying there is no solution, we’re simply searching for solutions that won’t aggravate the consequences,” Salam added.
• Caretaker Public Works Minister Ali Hamieh told L’Orient Today Wednesday that he had ordered the Beirut port director to bar anyone — including rescue teams — from approaching the silos, adhering to regulations set by the Higher Defense Council. The decision, which has prevented response teams from extinguishing the blaze at the Beirut port grain silos, was taken for safety reasons, according to Hamieh.
• The cabinet, of which both caretaker ministers are a part of, voted to approve the destruction of the port silos in May 2022, causing an outcry from activists and families of port victims.