Massive explosion in Beirut

[cstreit]

Looks massive. At a port so likely some sort of stored fuel? The red smoke is probably an indicator... Horrible.

[tevake]

Yikes. That's one big explosion! Looked like there was a fire going before the big kaboom. That shock wave spreading from it was serious.

Wonder what will turn out to be the source of that big of an explosion?
Anyone seen any follow up?

Cheers Richard

[GH85Carrera]

Wow, that is much like the Oklahoma City bomb in size and destruction. It has to be more than just a fuel depot. It looks like a serious bomb. It will be interesting to hear what it was.

[Porchdog]

If a Hezbollah munition dump explodes in Beirut and no Israelis are caught on camera, does the US still owe reparations?

Asking for a taxpayer.

Wondering if the red smoke might be related to rocket propellants.

[porsche4life]

Early reports are saying the buildings stored fireworks. The flashes before the explosion would match that. But I have no clue what would cause a single boom with that much force. Something big exploded.

Agreed, that red smoke is a clue.

[javadog]

Someone in Hezbollah is missing some fingers.

[masraum]

Wow. That's really amazing. Even at .25x speed, it's still very fast.

I can't even imagine what that was like in person from the vantage point that many of those videos were shot.

This one happened over 10.5 miles from me, and I heard it and may have noticed some shaking for us on the 5th floor. I'd guess that the one above was much larger.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/24/us/texas-houston-explosion/index.html

[masraum]

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by porsche4life

Early reports are saying the buildings stored fireworks. The flashes before the explosion would match that. But I have no clue what would cause a single boom with that much force. Something big exploded.

Agreed, that red smoke is a clue.

Note how quickly the mushroom cloud moved and then vanished.

Just a guess but the single boom may have been an LP Gas tank.

[stealthn]

H0ly ***** that was huge!

Hope casualties are minimal

[masraum]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

Not how quickly the mushroom cloud moved and then vanished.

Just a guess but the single boom may have been an LP Gas tank.

I think that first fuzzy white/gray cloud that you see is moisture in the air condensing due to being compressed by the shockwave. Then after that dissipates, you're left with the smoke/fire from the source itself.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by stealthn

H0ly ***** that was huge!

Hope casualties are minimal

One of the things that I read said "12 bodies taken to the hospital". I also read that a crew of firemen on site "disappeared" after the explosion. Lots and lots of folks injured, I suspect.

[GH85Carrera]

I just don't believe that fireworks can do that. They might make a big fireball, but not a huge boom and explosion. Pure speculation on my part but that is either military weapons or more likely, and Ammonia Nitrate Fertilizer bomb much like the Oklahoma City bomb.

Whatever it was was devastating. Anyone close to that explosion is dead. Death toll will be tragic.

[sammyg2]

OK city may be spot on.
I'm no ex-pert, but the shock wave looks kinda subsonic like a low explosive to me. like NH4NO3 for example.

Lebanon’s interior minister said initial information indicated highly explosive material, seized years ago, that had been stored at the port had blown up. The minister later told Al Jadeed TV ammonium nitrate had been in storage there since 2014.

Footage of the explosion shared by residents on social media showed a column of smoke rising from the port district followed by an enormous blast, sending a ball of white smoke and fireball into the sky. Those filming the incident from high buildings 2 km (more than a mile) from the port were thrown backwards by the shock.

Lebanon’s health minister said more than 25 people had been killed and more than 2,500 were injured. Lebanon’s Red Cross said hundreds of people had been taken to hospitals.

https://www.oann.com/large-blast-in-beirut-port-area-shakes-lebanons-capital-sources-say/

[sammyg2]

Reminds me of Texas City in '47

[A930Rocket]

Amazing blast and video. RIP.

[rusnak]

No one has gotten fireworks out of China, at least, in over a year. They went into shutdown in December, so where would that many fireworks come from? The initial fire was burning a lot slower than black powder.

[widebody911]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

Reminds me of Texas City in '47

You're older than I thought you were

[Seahawk]

Whatever that structure is at 15 seconds into the video is immolated.

Where is Paul Harvey when you need him?

[Noah930]

Wow, terrible. That's more than just a warehouse full of fireworks. Regardless the origins, there are lots of innocent people who were injured, killed, or will never even be found again.