What's burning is oil and tires. This explains the thick black smoke.

As for how it started? It's unclear but the rumors is that they are disposing material with fire.

Fire brigade is on the scene.

The warehouse that is on fire is in the duty-free area, and belongs to "BBC". It's confirmed that it is just oil and tires.

Likely burnt for insurance money. https://t.co/Cc5zEUFzeN

IDF jets over Lebanon doing mock raids and the port on fire, similar to August 4.

PTSD to Lebanese population: And we meet again.

Army: A fire broke out in a warehouse of oils and tires in the free market in the port of Beirut, and operations to extinguish the fire have begun, and army helicopters will participate in extinguishing it.

Military source for LBCI:
- Citizens are required to move away from the vicinity of the port and clear the roads in its vicinity, and work is being done to evacuate the port due to the intensification of the fire.
- Do not operate any drone over the port and its surroundings because army helicopters will take part in putting out the fire.

Note: This excludes IDF drones and jets.

Just moments after the fire started.

Video by: @BassemDhayni https://t.co/7E5LtSroqq

The intensity of the fire greatly decreased. Currently two warehouses are affected.

Material damage is expected as the second warehouse included newly arrived shipments of products worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The Minister of Justice in the caretaker government requested this morning the Judicial Inspection Authority to investigate those who are behind the leakage of the port explosion investigations to clarify the reality of the leakage situation and arrange the results. https://t.co/dGYmR4ekM9

A Beirut port worker revealed in a televised interview that the "welding operations" were the cause of the fire in the "BCC" warehouse, which was carried out by a company, which led to the outbreak of a fire in a warehouse of vegetable oils, food goods and clothes.

Brigadier General Khattar: We have not yet controlled the fire, and we ask the port administration to determine the nature of the materials in the warehouses to preserve the safety of the elements.

Al-Qaisi to MTV: I will issue a circular imposing on all merchants who store or transport their goods in Beirut Port to inform the Army Command and the Port Administration of what will they do with these materials first.

Army helicopters on the scene. https://t.co/R5Ix2s3ea2

Spare us HRW, we don't need lectures. We know our state.

Second of all, kindly go read some international news and learn about the hundreds of fires going on all around the world including Europe and USA that not only affected forests but also chemical plants and institutions. https://t.co/85G5BUNfu2

And since Mrs. Aya you also cover Bahrain, I wonder the lack of coverage there.

Well considering that half a dozen of religious speakers got arrested few days ago and you didn't bother covering that...for HRW.

NNA: All of the roads leading to Beirut Port have been blocked, especially the Ring Bridge.

@afawaz135 No I'm not defending the state. I'm simply protesting the agitation against it by foreigners and the likes of HRW that are abetting others to take dramatic actions against the state, that will eventually affect the general population.

Head of Global Environment party Doumit Kamel to MTV: Beirut residents live in a polluted air mass as a result of the burning of rubber tires since dangerous particles remain in the lungs.