The Lebanese Civil Defense extinguishes a fire that broke out in a disused fuel pipeline in Abdeh, North Lebanon, on Oct. 30, 2022. (Courtesy of Michel Hallak)
BEIRUT — The Lebanese Civil Defense, in cooperation with a maintenance team, extinguished on Sunday a fire that broke out in a disused fuel pipeline and has been ablaze since the morning in the area of Abdeh, North Lebanon, L'Orient Today's correspondent in the region.
The holes in the pipes have been patched up — a temporary solution — until the worn-out connections in the pipes can be replaced, according to our correspondent. Replacing the pipeline's connections is the only way to eliminate leaking risks. The Civil Defense and the maintenance team from Tripoli's oil facilities cooled the burning reed fields in the vicinity as a precaution and to avoid renewed fire.
The pipeline, which was built nearly 90 years ago to transport fuel from Iraq to Lebanon, was shut down at the beginning of the Civil War in Lebanon in 1975. Leaks from the pipeline have been regular occurrences in recent years, and residents have called on the authorities to deal with this recurring problem, which they say threatens their daily life and agricultural land, taints water sources and produces odors.
In September 2021 the associate director-general of Tripoli's oil facilities, Hadi al-Houssami, reported that the damage to the Iraqi pipeline was caused by attempts to siphon fuel from it.