One man missing as firefighters battle wood factory blaze

BEIRUT: Firefighters struggled until late Tuesday to contain a large fire that swept through a factory north of Beirut that specializes in fire-rated wood, leaving around 10 employees injured and one missing.

The fire erupted on the first floor of the factory owned by Khalil Matar in the industrial zone of Dikwaneh, in the Metn district.

It then spread to the second floor and hours later reached the factory’s roof, and two large containers of paint thinner stored there exploded.

The fire damaged the walls and ceiling of the building.

Lebanon’s Civil Defense said seven injured employees were taken to hospital and confirmed that one employee was still missing.

A security source said the injuries were mostly light and caused by asphyxiation, not burns.

The source added that efforts were underway to find the missing man, saying that there was a possibility that he had died.

The Red Cross said its medics moved three people to hospitals for treatment. A civil defense spokesperson told reporters that the missing man was a Palestinian.

“We don’t know whether he is inside the building. It’s too early to say what happened to him,” the spokesperson said.

The factory specializes “in the production of fire-rated wooden doors,” according to its website.

Around 10 firetrucks were deployed to battle the blaze. Firefighters tried to prevent it from spreading to an area where a clothing warehouse was located.

Black smoke emerged from the building’s second floor windows as firefighters used ladders to rescue trapped workers.

Matar said his factory was insured against fires, adding that it satisfied international safety standards.

The state prosecutor’s office tasked a civil defense technician to investigate the cause of the fire and file a special report to the office, a security sourcetold The Daily Star.

The prosecutor will then make a legally binding decision that determines whether the insurance firm would be required to compensate the owner. The preliminary information said the fire was sparked by an electric short.

By late night Tuesday, firefighters were still unable to enter the factory.