Three Syrian nationals killed in Faqra fire

BEIRUT — Civil Defense intervened Sunday in Faqra, Kesrouan, to extinguish a fire that caused the death of three Syrian nationals due to heat and toxic fumes.

Six other Syrians suffered from asphyxiation and were transported to hospitals able to receive them.

"At 12:12 p.m., the central operations room of the Directorate General of Civil Defense received a call reporting a fire in a warehouse located in the first basement of a four-story building in Faqra, used to store petroleum products and flammable materials," a statement from the rescue agency said. Firefighters faced great difficulties due to the high concentration of flammable materials and dense smoke, Civil Defense continued.

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"The disaster caused the death of three people of Syrian nationality, due to extreme heat and thick smoke, as well as injuries to seven other Syrian nationals, treated on site and transported to hospitals ... The fire was controlled at 12:34 p.m. and cooling operations continued to ensure the complete extinguishing of the fire," it added.

Parking lot belonging to 'Spinneys'

Civil Defense also responded in Jnah, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, in the parking lot of a building belonging to a retail chain. "At 4:30 a.m. Sunday, a call reported a fire in a tent set up in the parking lot of the 'Spinneys' building in Jnah. The flames spread to the wall of the building. Three Civil Defense centers [Ras Beirut, Bashoura, Tariq al-Jadideh] equipped with three fire trucks and about 20 officers, intervened. The flames were brought under control within 30 minutes, followed by an hour and a half of cooling to prevent the fire from restarting."

The General Directorate of Civil Defense reminds citizens of the duty to follow safety instructions, especially during this period of high temperatures, the statement concluded.

* This article was updated on August 11, 2025, to clarify that the Civil Defense has revised down the number of injured, now put at six instead of seven as stated in its initial statement.