According to Independent, video images show a large column of black smoke billowing into the sky over the Lebanese capital. Port workers, filming the tower of flames and black smoke above the port, could be seen running from the area in panic in, with people shouting “everyone, go!”
The Lebanese army said that a “warehouse of oil and tyres” in Beirut Port’s Free Zone had caught fire and they had joined efforts to extinguish the blaze, including drafting in helicopters.
Helicopters carrying buckets of water were seen flying across the city.
Local media reported that the army was starting to evacuate people nearby. Panicked citizens in surrounding areas began getting in their cars, saying they would leave Beirut.