Beirut.

[Chippy_Tea]

In the video you see flashes before the explosion witnesses say they thought they were fireworks.

 

[Clint]

News last night said it was a neglected store of ammonium nitrate...blown up by a bomb...well the news said Trump said that ..

 

[GerritT]

flashback

 

[Chippy_Tea]

They are asking what caused the brown smoke shortly before the explosion.

 

[GerritT]

Unfinished wood. Could be a sign of structure on fire, building could collapse.

 

[kelper]

Trump says his generals 'feel' it was a bomb - I don't believe him. Why didn't Trump ask his intelligence people or those monitoring Israeli aircraft in the vicinity?
Because Trump is a self-opinionate, orange moron! It started with a fire, so was probably accidental (although negligent).

 

[simon12]

One of my friends who lived there a few years ago called her friend there who said it was bomb makers making illegal bombs in an illegal firework factory. But I have not found that elsewhere.

 

[chthon]

Ammonium nitrate disasters

 

[kelper]

Ammonium nitrate is not an explosive, it needs to mixed with a fuel. Ammonium nitrate provides the oxidiser only.

 

[simon12]

Sorry I mean't legal fireworks factory

 

[Clint]

News said the stuff had sat there for 6 years...it's possible a fire helped it along..

 

[MyQul]

Ammonium nitrate is not an explosive, it needs to mixed with a fuel. Ammonium nitrate provides the oxidiser only.

There was a chemical expert (think he was a chemical engineer at a university) interviewed in the guardian who reconned there may have been oil mixed in there somewhere that caused the initial explosion

 

[marshbrewer]

I won't post how on here, but I can confirm it's a piece of cake to make an explosion with ammonium nitrate and stuff you find in farm workshops.

Hours of fun for a 1970s rural kid.

 

[kelper]

IRA used to mix fertiliser with diesel. I also understand that Ammonium Nitrate becomes unstable when wet....... still searching for a definitive response.

 

[Clint]

Other info that it was a bomb making site in a fireworks factory..
Why would you store nearly 3000 tonnes of AN for six years?

 

[chthon]

Ammonium nitrate is not an explosive, it needs to mixed with a fuel. Ammonium nitrate provides the oxidiser only.

Quote from LiveScience:

Once a reaction is sparked, ammonium nitrate explodes violently. The explosive force occurs when solid ammonium nitrate decomposes very rapidly into two gases, nitrous oxide and water vapor.

 

[simon12]

I don't think we will ever know exactly what happened or why. The official line seems to be a Russian owned ship docked there in 2016 with this cargo bound for Mozambique but was abandoned and the cargo put in storage. Officials advised several rimes it should be removed but it never happened and there now looking into why.

 

[kelper]

Ammonium nitrate can decompose suddenly if heated. The orange smoke and large white cloud shows it was not a fireball-type explosion. So it was triggered by a small fire nearby. Maybe there was flammable stuff in the same warehouse?