The media office of Caretaker Minister of Environment, Nasser Yassin, announced in an issued statement that a fire broke out this afternoon in the wooden tower located in the center of the Palm Island Reserve in Tripoli’s port region. As a result, Minister Yassin made immediate contacts with the army and naval forces command, the dignitaries of the city, and the reserve committee members, whereby the people on the island were quickly evacuated using boats while efforts were made to extinguish the fire. Yassin also contacted the Environmental Prosecutor Ghassan Bassil to conduct a criminal investigation to uncover the circumstances of the fire. He also disclosed that quick work will be done to conduct an administrative investigation by the Environment Ministry, and to study the nature of the reserve with the aim of activating it and avoiding any other issues during the summer season.

Source: National News Agency – Lebanon