Pillar to Post: TOO CLOSE TO DEATH: SURVIVING BEIRUT COUPLE CAPTURES HELLISH BLAST ON VIDEO FROM ACROSS THE STREET

Thursday, August 13, 2020

TOO CLOSE TO DEATH: SURVIVING BEIRUT COUPLE CAPTURES HELLISH BLAST ON VIDEO FROM ACROSS THE STREET

On August 5, 2020, the lives of Imad Khalil and Lina Alameh, a Lebanese couple living in a stylish Beirut high rise were about to change dramatically. From the balcony of their condominium, which had with views of the city, harbor and the Mediterranean Sea Imad and Lina began making a video of large amounts of gray smoke rising from a warehouse fire about 600 meters (about 2,000 feet) from their balcony. It was a few minutes after 6 pm local time.

On the video, Lina’s voice can be heard rising in pitch as the flames grew larger and smoke rose upwards. They captured images of a first explosion coming from a row of single level warehouse structures. They also witnessed smaller fireballs within in the smoke as if fireworks were exploding.

About 33 seconds after the largest of many explosions detonated all hell broke loose. More than 2500+tons of ammonium nitrate (a fertilizer and bomb making ingredient) exploded in a massive fireball. The explosion was felt in Cyprus more than 100 miles away.

What was a warehouse fire had turned fatal as flames that spread to the fertilizer stored in the same warehouse compound ignited HUGE.

Lisa and Imad were lucky that they lived in a modern building. They really never knew what hit them as their camera kept rolling. Both survived with major injuries. More than 130 Beirut citizens were not so lucky. In addition to the fatalities more than 3,000 were injured by the blast.

The couple’s images went viral on the Internet. Because so many citizens like them were recording the early smoke, the massive blast was captured from dozens of angles. To see CNN’s coverage from Imad and Lina’s balcony click here.