# 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:** 5
**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 6, 2020, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/81 "2020-08-06T03:19:39Z")
[This](https://mobile.twitter.com/AuroraIntel/status/1290682195804409856) is supposedly a very close video of the beforemath, but I can’t understand how footage from that position could be available unless it was being live-streamed. Anyone standing that close, their phone, and the building they were stand on would surely have been obliterated. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/82 "2020-08-06T03:45:25Z")
Phone camera on a drone maybe? ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/83 "2020-08-06T04:18:10Z")
> [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](#): > > It reminded me of stories of the Texas City explosion (fertilizer) back in 1947. I doubt the count of 25 dead will stand…there will be a lot more. Yeah, I had relatives working the docks the day of the Texas City explosion. When I saw this it immediately reminded me of that and the explosion at West. I told my wife “That’s almost certainly an ammonium nitrate explosion.” The list of things that will explode that way which humans also keep in giant storehouses so they can explode that large is kind of short. I’m pretty sure if you blew up the silo next to where the explosion happened with a perfect grain dust explosion, it wouldn’t go up like that one did. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/84 "2020-08-06T08:46:40Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > Or there might have just been a massive arms dump. Nah, that would have led to lovely sights like rockets and mortars flying over downtown Beruit and [I speak from experience.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ojhri_Camp) having witnessed this). ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/85 "2020-08-06T09:21:22Z")
> [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](#): > > 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. I bet that welder had no idea what was nearby where he was working. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/86 "2020-08-06T10:24:16Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > I’m pretty sure if you blew up the silo next to where the explosion happened with a perfect grain dust explosion, it wouldn’t go up like that one did. Probably not. If you filled the silos with _any_ kind of explosive aerosol, it wouldn’t have anywhere near the mass or explosive energy of 2700 tons of ammonium nitrate. > [@Broomstick](#): > > I bet that welder had no idea what was nearby where he was working. Entirely possible. Some places are more lax than others. Where I work, if we are going to be welding somewhere other than at a designated welding workstation, we have to fill out a permit verifying that we have removed flammable material from the area, have a fire extinguisher nearby, and know where the nearest fire alarm pull is, and the site has to be inspected 30 minutes after work is completed to verify nothing is smoldering. Funny, a welding mishap is reportedly what caused the similarly-scaled **[PEPCON disaster](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PEPCON_disaster)** 32 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/87 "2020-08-06T12:04:19Z")
I base my statement about the welder not knowing the danger on the fact that for six years no one did squat about that pile of ammonium nitrate, except for that one guy who kept writing letters and trying to get a court to _do something_ about the danger. No one with any authority cared. I find it entirely plausible that no one bothered to warn the welder, or any other workers in the area. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/88 "2020-08-06T13:45:18Z")
Curious: aid is pouring into Lebanon from all over the world. Is the US Federal **government** sending anything? (Not private aid organizations, which I’m sure will be sending help.) ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/89 "2020-08-06T15:31:00Z")
Interesting video of the event happening during a Bridal shoot. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/FdCWolIi3OA/maxresdefault.jpg "Beirut explosion: Bride's photoshoot interrupted by massive blast") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdCWolIi3OA) ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/90 "2020-08-06T15:52:55Z")
The bride and her husband were interviewed in TV this morning - looks like both are alright, although still shook up. Understandably so. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/91 "2020-08-06T17:46:20Z")
I just came across the article linked below, about the great Halifax explosion of 1917 which had even more casualties than this one in Beirut, caused by a fire and subsequent explosion of a ship carrying munitions for WW I. It struck me as a really odd coincidence that this was just months before the outbreak of the huge Spanish Flu pandemic. Now here we are in the middle of another pandemic and another catastrophic explosion, not to mention the rise of Trumpism and authoritarianism. Sometimes, it seems, it’s just a lousy time to be on this planet. > **[A century after the Halifax Explosion, Beirut tragedy hits close to home |...](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/halifax-beirut-explosion-aid-lebanon-1.5675794)** > > More than 100 years ago, the city of Halifax went through the worst human-caused explosion of its time. Now, some are asking Nova Scotians to support Beirut through its own tragedy. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/92 "2020-08-06T17:52:37Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Curious: aid is pouring into Lebanon from all over the world. Is the US Federal **government** sending anything? (Not private aid organizations, which I’m sure will be sending help.) Still wondering about this… ---
**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 6, 2020, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/93 "2020-08-06T18:01:38Z")
The [statement](https://www.state.gov/explosion-in-beirut/) by the secretary of state offers unspecified assistance. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/94 "2020-08-06T18:10:35Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Still wondering about this… Timestamp was 5:41 this morning: > **[Trump Hedges "Bomb" Claim As US Offers Lebanon Aid After Beirut Explosion](https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/trump-hedges-bomb-claim-as-us-offers-lebanon-aid-after-beirut-explosion-2274909)** > > US President Donald Trump said Wednesday the deadly Beirut explosion may have been an accident, after raising eyebrows earlier suggesting it was an attack. The relevant quote: > Pompeo voiced “our steadfast commitment to assist the Lebanese people as they cope with the aftermath of this terrifying event,” according to a statement on the call. > > He “further stressed our solidarity with and support for the Lebanese people as they strive for the dignity, prosperity and security they deserve.” > > Promoted > > Listen to the [latest songs](https://www.jiosaavn.com/featured/new-music-this-week/Ns2UZo9qDvI_), only on [JioSaavn.com](https://www.jiosaavn.com/) > > Pompeo later told a news conference that the United States would unveil measures to support Lebanon “in the coming days.” IOW, this is all still unfolding. General pledges of assistance from the US government have been made, with specifics yet to follow. Stay tuned, we’ll see what comes… ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/95 "2020-08-06T18:19:35Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > > …Pompeo later told a news conference that the United States would unveil measures to support Lebanon “in the coming days.” > > IOW, this is all still unfolding. General pledges of assistance from the US government have been made, with specifics yet to follow. Stay tuned, we’ll see what comes… I expect an announcement in two weeks. Thanks for researching this, y’all. My google-fu was weak on this topic. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/96 "2020-08-06T18:48:47Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Curious: aid is pouring into Lebanon from all over the world. Is the US Federal **government** sending anything? (Not private aid organizations, which I’m sure will be sending help.) So far three C-130s of food, water, and medical supplies were [announced](https://turkishpress.com/us-sending-3-plane-loads-of-aid-to-lebanon-after-blast/) today . GEN McKenzie’s role is not identified in that article. He is the commander of US Central Command. Potentially that means we are talking hours not days until delivery. GEN McKenzie has full authority to pull the aid from his command’s war stocks and use cargo aircraft already located in the middle east. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/97 "2020-08-06T19:46:32Z")
Thanks. Not much noise being made about it here. That link was from Turkish Press. Weird. Ok. Here’s something in WaPo > **[Lebanese demand top leaders take responsibility for devastating blasts](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/after-beirut-explosions-international-aid-and-rescue-workers-pour-into-stricken-city/2020/08/06/76e29762-d752-11ea-a788-2ce86ce81129_story.html)** > > The government’s initial steps toward accountability look unlikely to calm mounting rage. This is waaaay down in the article after mentioning all the other aid that’s coming in. > …Gen. Frank McKenzie, the head of the U.S. military’s Central Command, offered his condolences for the suffering in Beirut during a call on Thursday with the Lebanese Armed Forces commander, Gen. Joseph Aoun. > > In a statement, Capt. Bill Urban, a spokesman for McKenzie, said that McKenzie had informed Aoun that the U.S. military had sent three military transport planes carrying food, water and medical supplies. > > “Gen. McKenzie expressed U.S. willingness to continue to work with the Lebanese Armed Forces to help provide aid and assistance to meet the needs of the Lebanese people during this terrible tragedy,” Urban said… I’m not saying we should be blowing our own horn or anything, but usually, the US is in the lead on something like this. Different times. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/98 "2020-08-06T19:51:52Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > Ammonium nitrate is not explosive. It doesn’t even ‘burn’. It’s an oxidizer, like oxygen. > > Ammonium nitrate + carbon is explosive – typically Ammonium nitrate + Fuel Oil (ANFO), or in the case of the (American) Texas City port disaster, petrolatum and paraffin. > > On a technical level, those of us interested in safety precautions will be interested to know what the oxidizer was stored next to. > > Typically ANFO explosions are triggered by dynamite/gelignite, but as accidents like this show, just getting it hot will cause it to decompose, creating a potential hazard. AN is a high explosive by itself. Detonation velocity is 2800 meters/sec. Doesn’t need oxygen or carbonization or whatever. Feel free to read up about it here in TM 9-1300-214 Military Explosives, Propellants, and Pyrotechnics. Big PDF [https://www.militarynewbie.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/TM-9-1300-214-Military-Explosives.pdf](https://www.militarynewbie.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/TM-9-1300-214-Military-Explosives.pdf) AN goes back to 1654. Ammonium nitrate was first prepared by J. R. Glauber, a German chemist. It’s generally not used as a military explosive as itself because of being highly hygroscopic; it sucks up water. AN is mixed with TNT and/or other explosives as an extender. It also produces large volumes of gas, good at disrupting foundations, buildings and roads. There is an older model 40lb. cratering charge with AN exclusively. Sensitivity to detonation is very dependent on its density. If it gets exposed to moisture and dried out (see humid port conditions and high heat), the grains or prills will breakdown and the AN will compact. Think putting large crystal salt in a glass, adding water, then drying it out. When the AN is mixed with a fuel oil or other slurry, this material is absorbed into the prills allowing a detonation shock wave to proceed through the material at a faster rate. From the various videos, an explosion and fire involving fireworks initiated the AN stored in an adjacent warehouse. I taught this subject for many years and worked with ammo and explosives for 37 years. ---
**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 6, 2020, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/99 "2020-08-06T19:57:16Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I’m not saying we should be blowing our own horn or anything, but usually, the US is in the lead on something like this. Different times. I don’t have a problem with the US government not making a big deal of the aid that’s being sent. It would be bragging unnecessarily when thousands of people had their lives turned upside down. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267/100 "2020-08-06T20:07:41Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I don’t have a problem with the US government not making a big deal of the aid that’s being sent. It would be bragging unnecessarily when thousands of people had their lives turned upside down.- This is not about bragging or being insensitive to a tragedy that has struck elsewhere. Nor am I quibbling over the government not making a big deal. I’m surprised the _media_ aren’t making a bigger deal-- as they normally do when something like this happens. In past incidents when US international aid has gotten more coverage, it’s appropriate to inform US citizens that the government cares and to let them know what we as a nation are doing to help a country where many US citizens have family, friends, and ties of some sort. For someone (like me) to have to go _searching_ to see what we’re doing is… odd. Maybe it’s because the WH doesn’t have a real press department any more. I mean where would such information come from-- presidential tweets? Hell, he can’t spell Lebanon and doesn’t have any idea where it is. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-explosion/917267.md?page=6)