By trtworld.com — A large explosion hit a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, according to witnesses. On Friday’s explosion occurred after a fire broke out in the Burj al Shemali camp in the country’s fourth largest city, Tyre. Several injuries were reported from the area and ambulances and firefighters dispatched there. The Lebanese army formed a tight security cordon around the refugee camp after the explosion. The Lebanese government opened an investigation and an attorney was tasked to search for the cause of the blast. Bomb experts and security services were also deployed to inspect the inciden

Cause of explosion

Reports say that the area was used as an arms depot but a Palestinian official denied the presence of any weapons or ammunition in the stores, saying oxygen bottles had exploded. Camp residents said firefighters were still battling to put out a huge blaze. One resident, who gave her name only as Maha, said she heard a first explosion followed by a cascade of secondary blasts. Several ambulances entered the camp and Lebanese troops deployed around its perimeter, witnesses say. Lebanon hosts tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees, most of whom live in the country’s 12 camps. Unofficially, they are said to number as many as half a million. By longstanding agreement, the Lebanese army does not enter the camps, leaving security inside to Palestinian factions.