On August 4, 2020, a catastrophic explosion devastated the port of Beirut, Lebanon. The disaster was caused by the detonation of approximately 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that had been improperly stored in a port warehouse for six years. The sequence of events began with a fire in a warehouse adjacent to the one containing the ammonium nitrate. The fire spread, leading to a series of initial explosions, and then the massive detonation of the ammonium nitrate stockpile at 6:08 PM local time.

On August 4, 2020, the city of Beirut, Lebanon, was devastated by one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history. The catastrophe originated in Warehouse 12 at the Port of Beirut, where a fire ignited 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that had been improperly stored for nearly seven years. The resulting blast was equivalent to a small earthquake, generating a massive shockwave that ripped through the city. The explosion killed more than 200 people, injured over 6,000, and instantly rendered