Large fire around closed factory in Chekka contained before it reached the premises

BEIRUT — A large fire that could have had potentially hazardous consequences was contained Saturday night near a factory in Chekka, northern Lebanon, according to our correspondent in the area.

The fire erupted Saturday afternoon around the Eternit factory in Chekka. 

This factory – closed since 1991 – was producing fiber cement pipes reinforced with asbestos.

Asbestos, a group of fibrous cancerous minerals, is used to strengthen and fireproof materials.

Environmental activists contacted by L'Orient Today's correspondent feared on Saturday that if the fire reached the plant, asbestos residues could be dispersed with the smoke and "pose a danger to the surrounding environment and public health."

However, Civil Defense teams worked for hours to control the flames and prevented them from reaching outside the factory's premises, L'Orient Today's correspondent reported.

Forces of Change MPs Najat Aoun Saliba and Melhem Khalaf visited the scene Saturday night, accompanied by the Civil Defense chief in Chekka and inspected the site of the fire and noted that the damage was confined to dry grass and trees, L'Orient Today's correspondent reported, noting that "the prompt intervention of the Civil Defense prevented the flames from spreading to the Eternit factory."

In a statement, the MPs confirmed that "our visit to Chekka with the Civil Defense operations chief and a physical inspection of the fire site adjacent to the closed Eternit factory shows that the fire affected approximately 700 meters of dry grass, and was controlled by Civil Defense personnel without spreading to the factory or any materials stored within."

The cause of the fire is unknown.

A Lebanese study, conducted in 2001 and published in the Journal of the Medical Library Association concluded a "narrow and undeniable relationship between asbestos, Chekka region and the development of mesothelioma (rare and aggressive tumors) in Lebanon."

A second study conducted between 2002 and 2014, after the factory closed, concluded in a lower relation between the mesothelioma cases recorded during that period and the Chekka region asbestos contamination. 

In 2023, a Belgian court ruled that Belgian company Eternit which used to produce asbestos cement made a deliberate mistake in continuing the practice and that this led to the claimant contracting pleural cancer, which occurs outside the lungs. 

In a statement Sunday, caretaker Environment Minister Nasser Yassin clarified that the “Ministry of Environment conducted an assessment of the abandoned facility since 1991, carried out by British and Lebanese experts in June 2023. Recommendations were made for dismantling, isolating, and safely managing hazardous materials, particularly asbestos-containing pipes. The ministry submitted the report to [caretaker] Minister of Justice Henry Khoury.”

Yassin stated that the Environment Ministry "will present the expert's report through the Ministry of Justice, preparing to refer the facility's case to the bankruptcy court for appropriate decisions regarding this matter."

Reporting contributed  by Michel Hallak