According to The Daily Star, the factory is owned by Tourism Minister Fadi Abboud. The fire reportedly raged until morning despite several fire trucks on hand. I wasn't able to find much on the cause, but its safe to say that Lebanon's mostly volunteer fire fighters are usually unprepared for the calls they get, including a lack of fireproof clothing and breathing equipment. Here's a piece I wrote about them a few years back: "The unsung heros? Civil Defense Brigade take risks for free"
3 comments:
Habib,
Is the Lebanese law clear about who is to be held liable in such circumstances? Is ther a "polluter pays" statute?
If you do not mind an off topic question: I am still not certain of the exact address of the "Grand Theatre" on which you posted 2 years ago.
Habib,
(1)Is there a clear statute that "polluter pays" ? and if not who is held responsible for the environmental damage, especially the damage to the ecosystem , if any.
(2) Around two years ago you had a post about the "Grand Theatre". What is its exact location in Beirut? Thanks in advance.
Good question Ghassan--there was a huge column of smoke rising from the fire mentioned in this post. The entire area smelled like chemicals as well probably because of the plastics. I don't if there is any legal liability for environmental damage. I was once told that most factories operate without a license anyway, so I doubt there is much environmental assessment going on. In fact you can often see black smoke rising from a factory in Dora, and I'm sure many flush right into the sea.
As for the Grand Theatre, it is on the corner of Azarieh bldg and Maraad street--in between the Landmark development and Azarieh bldg.
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