# Beirut explosion **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 4, 2020, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267 "2020-08-04T18:57:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/61 "2020-08-05T18:09:26Z")
It is being reported that the owner of the ship carrying all the ammonium nitrate is a Russian national hiding out on Cypress. He apparently abandoned the ship and its crew (without paying them off) back in 2014. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/62 "2020-08-05T18:17:10Z")
One article said the port officials repeatedly asked the courts for direction on how to deal with the abandoned ship. Honestly, at some point, they should have just acted in the interest of public safety. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/63 "2020-08-05T19:22:40Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > Lots of orangish red smoke. Which made me think of AN, That’s what they reported was coming out of the ship holds in Texas City prior to the explosion there as well- it’s a product of burning AN. The Beirut and Texas City explosions are roughly equivalent- the big question is that it looks like the Beirut one was out on a spit or mole or something, not right up against the built-up areas, which may limit casualties, in that blast goes down pretty quickly with distance. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/64 "2020-08-05T19:26:33Z")
AP article is explains the history of the confiscated material. A port official wrote several letters each year trying to get court officials to make a decision. > **[Negligence probed in deadly Beirut blast amid public anger](https://apnews.com/4475998de078a93bbe91b7ac9d43ada2)** > > BEIRUT (AP) — Investigators probing the deadly blast that ripped across Beirut focused Wednesday on possible negligence in the storage of tons of a highly explosive fertilizer in a waterfront warehouse, while the government ordered the house arrest... ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/65 "2020-08-05T19:42:16Z")
The before/after slider image on the AP story is really worth checking out. ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/66 "2020-08-05T19:51:07Z")
Wow That’s a lot of destruction! Even the buildings in the “shadow” of the silos were destroyed. I’m surprised the loss if life is so low. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/67 "2020-08-05T20:01:49Z")
The events leading up to this, along with incompetent handling by government officials of explosive materials reminds me of this. > **[Evangelos Florakis Naval Base explosion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evangelos_Florakis_Naval_Base_explosion)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > On 11 July 2011, at Evangelos Florakis Naval Base, situated at Mari, Larnaca in Cyprus, a large amount of ammunition and military explosives self-detonated, killing 13 people, including the Commander of the Cyprus Navy, Andreas Ioannides, the base commander, Lambros Lambrou, and six firefighters. A further 62 people were injured. The explosion was the worst peacetime military accident ever recorded in Cyprus, with a yield of approximately 481 tons T... Different substance, different country but the same complacent attitude and similar results ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/68 "2020-08-05T21:17:15Z")
On the far right of the aftermath image you can see a large ship has capsized. I could not have imagined before how big a blast would have to be to do that. [![](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2020/08/05/beruit-before-after_wide-7075aea52c6d32489aa1ddd63f54639d9306648e-s1200.jpg) ](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2020/08/05/beruit-before-after_wide-7075aea52c6d32489aa1ddd63f54639d9306648e-s1200.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/69 "2020-08-05T21:34:06Z")
Holy crow, it obliterated a quarter of that … dock? mole? the sticky-out thingie. That’s jaw dropping. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/70 "2020-08-05T23:07:19Z")
It’s solid ground. there was an approximately 60,000 sq ft warehouse sitting where the hole is now. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/71 "2020-08-06T01:00:58Z")
The Pentagon apparently has no idea where Trump’s claim comes from ([Pentagon official reportedly has 'no idea' where Trump's Beirut claims came from](https://www.yahoo.com/news/pentagon-official-reportedly-no-idea-205400423.html)) ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/72 "2020-08-06T01:06:19Z")
Now it sounds like the ignition point was caused by having a welder in there to weld up a hole in the warehouse. Welding next to a ton+ of explosive fertilizer! They’ll probably blame it all on the welding worker, saying he got careless with his torch. And I don’t expect he’s still around to contradict that. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/73 "2020-08-06T01:27:23Z")
They know he pulled it out of his ass, but they won’t say it out loud. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/74 "2020-08-06T01:41:06Z")
Has there ever been a mountain of ammonium nitrate that didn’t explode? ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/75 "2020-08-06T01:46:25Z")
It’s what likely caused the fire on the _Bonhomme Richard_. Welding gets hot. Which is why there are supposed to be helpers nearby to watch for fire. Probably not the brightest idea though to store fireworks or whatever those pyrotechnics were that initially ignited, right next to the couple thousand tons of potentially explosive fertilizer. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/76 "2020-08-06T01:51:01Z")
Initial rumors were that the wharf was storing missiles and the like for Hez. If so, not out of the question for it to have a nasty accident. May even have happened that way too, not that anyone would admit that now. There’s [killing bystanders with explosives](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Hassan_Salameh) and then there’s KILLING BYSTANDERS. Far more likely though that Trump was missing the taste of both feet, and decided to fix that. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/77 "2020-08-06T02:10:29Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > So black powder as used in fireworks might set it off or not? Something has certainly set something off! Blackpowder, like ANFO, is a mixture of an oxidizer and a ‘reducer’. When lit, it will burn. If there is enough of it, it will burn hotter and faster, then even hotter and even faster, but real black powder will never burn faster than the speed of sound – even when initiated with a detonator, it deflagerates rather than detonates. Ammonium Nitrate (fertilizer) will decompose when heated. Fuel oil will burn when heated (in the presence of Oxygen or Ammonium Nitrate). It will eventually burn hot enough and fast enough that the speed of the flame front will exceed the speed of sound, creating a sonic boom, and you can get a pressure front detonation. Assuming there was actually a big dump of fertilizer at the port, and that it actually caused the explosion, either it was contaminated, or there was something else there as well. Not black powder – that doesn’t explode better when you give it more oxygen – maybe fuel or flour. But black powder might have been part of the initial fire that started decomposing the fertilizer. You could hypothosize - fire - smoldering fire - maybe even fuel spillage – + massive burst of oxidizer = explosion Or there might have just been a massive arms dump. ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/78 "2020-08-06T02:29:59Z")
So was it the red ship in the ‘before’ photo that exploded? ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/79 "2020-08-06T03:05:11Z")
It was the warehouse next to the grain elevator that exploded. in one of the videos you can see what looks like fireworks going off at the end of the warehouse but nothing was launching into the air. Couldn’t find any videos of small amounts of ammonium nitrate exploding to see what it looked like. There were definitely many smaller explosions going off before the whole thing went up. The grain elevator contained 85% of the country’s grain supply. It’s all contaminated. what a mess. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/80 "2020-08-06T03:05:29Z")
I’d say most mountains of AN don’t explode. But not exploding…that never makes the news. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267.md?page=5)