BEIRUT — A large fire broke out early Monday morning at the "Masri" service station along the Abdeh seaside road in Akkar, North Lebanon, before being brought under control within an hour, a Civil Defense spokesperson told L'Orient Today.

The blaze spread to nearby parked cars, which also caught fire. Civil Defense teams are now conducting cooling operations at the scene, while an expert is expected to investigate the cause of the fire.

Panic ensued among residents, who feared the flames could spread to neighboring areas and underground fuel reservoirs, reported our regional correspondent.

This incident comes more than three years after a devastating petrol tank explosion in Tleil, Akkar, in August 2021, which killed around 30 people during a severe fuel shortage in Lebanon following a dire 2019 economic crisis.

Reporting contributed by Michel Hallak