A picture circulating on social media of the fire in Bechara El Khoury at Pizza Secret restaurant.
BEIRUT – The Beirut Fire Brigade has issued a statement Wednesday stating that reports from some news websites that the cause of the fire that occurred Tuesday at the Pizza Secret restaurant was due to welding gas pipes is not official. The brigade emphasized that its "work is based on professional standards, relying on science and evidence rather than speculation."
In the statement, the brigade leadership affirmed that, "following an order from the Governor of Beirut, Judge Marwan Abboud, two expert officers were tasked with investigating the fire site and gathering evidence to determine the cause of the incident. Once their investigation is completed, they will prepare a report and submit it to the relevant authorities."
The statement continued, "Any statement on behalf of the brigade will either come from Brigade Commander Brigadier General Maher Ajouz or Head of Public Relations Captain Ali Najm. Any other statement is false and misleading; clarification is required."
Nine people were killed and four others injured on Tuesday afternoon in a fire caused by a gas leak in a restaurant in the Beshara Khoury area of Ras al-Naba, Beirut. Chief of the Beshara firefighting brigade, Hassan Yassine, told L'Orient Today's reporter on the scene that the fire had been fully extinguished by early evening and no one remained inside.