The top floor of the Concord plant in Naamea, ravaged by flames Tuesday night before it collapsed. (Credit: Twitter photo @CivilDefenseLB)
BEIRUT — The fire that killed one employee Tuesday afternoon in the Concord household appliances factory in Naameh, south of Beirut, is "under control," Beirut Fire Brigade chief Maher Ajouz told L'Orient-Le Jour Wednesday morning.
"The flames have been brought under control but there are still some fires that the Civil Defense is putting out," Colonel Ajouz told L'Orient-Le Jour. "The building was seriously damaged by the fire and the top floor collapsed," he said.
One of the factory's 27 employees, a man of Pakistani nationality, died of asphyxiation due to the fire.
The staff was evacuated Tuesday evening by rescue services, including seven people who had taken refuge on the roof of the building.
Lebanese Civil Defense also tweeted that eight injured people were hospitalized, with "two of them in critical condition."
Evacuations
The exact cause of the incident has not yet been identified, according to Ajouz.
The state-run National News Agency reported on Tuesday that a short circuit had sparked the blaze.
On Tuesday evening, "residents whose houses are located within a radius of 700 meters from the plant were evacuated because there were fears of an explosion," the fire chief told L'Orient-Le Jour.
Caretaker Environment Minister Nasser Yassin told the LBCI TV channel that the decision to evacuate residents was due to the presence of flammable materials in the factory.
Caretaker Industry Minister Georges Bouchikian expressed his "solidarity" with the owners of the site. The minister is also following the case with his team to determine the causes of the tragedy, according to the NNA.