The Beirut Explosion

     There is much speculation on what caused the explosion in Beirut, including accident, sabotage, deliberate attack, etc. I would go with accident, enabled by sloth and bureaucracy.

     Leaving aside the matter that the ammonium nitrate never should have been there, there is something they don't seem to be looking at. That is the grain storage facility right near where the ammonium nitrate was stored. Grain elevators have been explosion hazards for years, though modern ones are safer. The dust HAS to be kept down.

     What happened in Beirut fits exactly with what happened in Haysville, Kansas in June of 1998. There, a large dust explosion in the elevator created more dust clouds, which exploded several times after the initial blast. https://www.nfpa.org/-/media/Files/News-and-Research/Resources/Fire-Investigations/fi298.ashx?la=en

     "The grain elevator was one of the largest in the world. The facility contained 246 concrete silos, each measuring 30 feet (9.1m) in diameter and over 120 feet (36.6 m) in height. Each silo could hold approximately 70,000 bushels (2,464 m3) of grain, making the total capacity of the facility nearly 21 million bushels (739,200 m3), including the 7 million bushels (246,400 m3) contained in the headhouse bins. At the time of the incident,the facility was filled to about 33 percent of capacity. The facility measured over 2,700feet (823 m) or approximately one-half mile in length. Wheat was the main product being stored in this facility."

     "Following the initiating event,  several explosions occurred throughout the facility(statements of witnesses regarding the number of explosions ranged from two to five). The first explosion caused dust within the facility to be placed into suspension in the air thereby contributing to a series of subsequent explosions."

     In Beirut, a big explosion was heard followed by a number of smaller explosions, which some described as fireworks and others as ammunition cooking off. Then the ammonium nitrate went off! It is just my opinion and would have to be verified (if possible), but I believe the whole disaster started in the grain storage facility. That and the series of after-explosions probably damaged the warehouse where the ammonium nitrate was stored and set off the big one that caused most of the damage to the port and city. 

     The whole matter of how and why the ammonium nitrate was stored in Beirut, much less near a grain storage facility, is another matter and would make a good three stooges movie, if the results hadn't been so deadly serious.