Fire engulfed the 'Zaha Hadid' building in Beirut

(Patria) – The fire that engulfed the landmark building in the commercial part of Beirut's center on Tuesday morning has been extinguished, reported a representative of the local civil defense.

One of the passers-by testified to Reuters that smoke was still coming out of the building while firefighters were extinguishing the fire.

Beirut residents watched as parts of the facade of the building, designed by world-renowned architect Zaha Hadid, fell off.

Construction work has been underway on the building for several years and was nearing completion when the fire occurred.

This is the second major fire in Beirut in just under a week. Last Thursday, a fire engulfed the port of Beirut, destroying a warehouse containing humanitarian aid.