Yet another worrying scene in Beirut today. A thick white cloud of smoke was seen trailing from the Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport early afternoon.
The smoke was coming from within the power room which houses the generators used by Middle East Airlines.
“Any smoke in the sky has become a nightmare for people in Lebanon after the crime of August 4, 2020,” said Sky News reporter Salman Andary.
That much is true, especially if it’s at the airport. But The961 received a message of reassurance from a source within the airport, “Don’t worry, no one is welding.”
Previous fires such as the most recent burning of a building in Beirut Souks and that of the port were blamed on welding work.
However, at the airport, the smoke was not from any fire as initially reported. Instead, the smoke was reportedly due to a malfunction with one of the Middle East Airlines’ electricity generators. The problem was quickly resolved.
According to Welland Power, white smoke from a generator appears “because of un-burnt fuel in the exhaust gas or water in the fuel. The white smoke emitted is diesel that has not been combusted correctly in the engine cylinders or steam from the water in the fuel.”
Nevertheless, people can’t help but shiver at the sight of smoke above Beirut.
