What caused Beirut's devastating explosion?

Synopsis

The devastating explosion in Beirut is linked to a fire that broke out in the port on a Tuesday afternoon. Local media suggest the fire may have originated from a fireworks storage facility, while others report welding work occurring in a nearby warehouse. At approximately 6 PM, the fire triggered a massive explosion equivalent to a 3.5 magnitude earthquake, felt over 125 miles away in Cyprus. This colossal force resulted from the detonation of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, a highly reactive chemical stored unsafely in hangar 12. The ammonium nitrate, typically used in agriculture and explosives, had been abandoned since 2013 after being offloaded from a Russian-owned cargo vessel that was forced to dock in Beirut due to technical issues. Despite multiple requests sent to the judiciary over the past six years for its removal, no action was taken, raising questions about what caused this tragedy and what authorities knew about the hazardous material's presence.