Israeli explosives expert comments of Lebanon blast

(5 Aug 2020) An explosives expert in Israel on Wednesday said that fireworks and ammonium nitrate appear to have been integral elements in a massive explosion that rocked the Lebanese capital of Beirut. Boaz Hayoun, owner of the Tamar Group, an Israeli firm that works closely with the Israeli government on safety and certification issues involving explosives, said he did not think think the explosion was deliberately initiated. The scale of the damage — from the epicenter of the explosion at the port of Beirut to the windows blown out kilometers away — resembles other blasts involving the chemical compound commonly used as an agricultural fertilizer, Hayoun said. But the compound itself typically doesn't detonate on its own and requires another ignition source. That likely came from a fire that engulfed what initially appeared to be fireworks that were stored at the port. Online videos of the disaster's initial moments show sparks and lights inside the smoke rising from the blaze, just prior to the massive blast. Orange clouds also followed the blast, likely from toxic nitrogen dioxide gas that's released after an explosion involving nitrates. Experts typically determine the power of the blast by measuring the crater left behind, which appeared massive in aerial footage shot on Wednesday morning by the AP. What initially started the fire at the port remains unclear. Beirut was sunny before Tuesday's explosion, with a daily high of 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit). Meanwhile, an official letter surfaced online showing that the head of the customs department had warned repeatedly over the years that a huge stockpile of ammonium nitrate stored in a hangar in the port was a danger and asked for a way to remove it. The 2,750-ton cargo had been stored at the port since it was confiscated from a ship in 2013, and on Tuesday it is believed to have detonated after a fire broke out nearby. Tuesday's explosion - hitting with the force of a 3.5-magnitude earthquake - was the biggest ever seen in Beirut, a city blasted by a 1975-1990 civil war, bombarded in conflicts with Israel and hit by periodic terror attacks. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...