The Lebanese caretaker interior minister has issued a decision prohibiting the storage of fuel in residential units and business institutions.
In the decision, issued Monday, caretaker Minister Mohammad Fahmi addressed local authorities across Lebanese governorates, instructing them to combat the risky storage of fuel inside and around residential buildings, shops, and warehouses.
In response to the severe fuel shortage that Lebanon has been suffering from, many people have been stocking up on gasoline and diesel fuel, both for personal and commercial purposes.
This phenomenon is not newfound, and it already caused a considerable number of casualties when a fuel tank exploded in Beirut last October.
“Storing these highly flammable materials in residential buildings and shops located in the vicinity of residential buildings may lead to fires and serious incidents that could threaten public safety,” Fahmi said in the decision.
Therefore, district governors have been asked to inform municipalities and municipality unions to immediately report any information related to the storage of gasoline or diesel fuel in such locations.
The decision stipulates that any amount of fuel found being stored in such a manner will be immediately seized by security forces.
