Unveiling the Tragic Fire: Investigating the Fatal Incident at Pizza Secrets in Beirut

A report by Maroun Nassif, English adaptation by Nadine Sassine

In pursuit of the truth behind the tragedy that claimed the lives of nine individuals in the fire that broke out inside Pizza Secrets restaurant in the Bashara El Khoury area of Beirut, the Public Prosecutor at the Court of Appeal in Beirut, Judge Zaher Hamadeh, conducted his investigations.

According to information made available to LBCI, Hamadeh heard from the owner of the restaurant, W.M., a Lebanese national who was detained, as well as from the restaurant manager, M.L., a Syrian national, and from the manager of Net Gaz company and the engineers who installed the gas supplies inside the restaurant.

 

Judge Hamadeh's investigations uncovered the following truth: the fire inside the restaurant started after gas leaked from a cylinder being installed by Net Gaz employees for the restaurant. Near this cylinder, employees were operating the gas to prepare French fries, which led to the disaster.

The restaurant owner informed investigators that the gas installations were carried out by Net Gaz in December 2023. Additionally, investigations revealed that the restaurant owner had applied for a license, but commenced operations before obtaining the required permit, which is considered a violation. 

 

Ultimately, the restaurant owner neglected fire safety measures, alarm systems, firefighting equipment, and emergency exits. Net Gaz neglected general safety rules. 

 

The relevant ministries, as well as the Beirut Municipality, neglected to monitor the restaurant and prevent it from operating before obtaining the required permit. This resulted in the deaths of nine innocent individuals and injuries to three. It is noteworthy that the nine victims, including two employees of Net Gaz, died of suffocation rather than from the fire itself, after seeking refuge in a basement room inside the restaurant.