The following slideshow captures firefighters from Libya’s National Safety Authority and a group of young volunteers struggling to cool petrol tanks that caught fire on July 28 when two militias fighting over an oil depot struck a petrol tank with a missile. The fire resulting from that shelling spread to a second and third tank.

For more than eleven days, flames have risen over 50 meters—the dark skies above Tripoli could be viewed from a distance of more than 50 kilometers away.

The following slideshow captures firefighters from Libya’s National Safety Authority and a group of young volunteers struggling to cool petrol tanks that caught fire on July 28 when two militias fighting over an oil depot struck a petrol tank with a missile. The fire resulting from that shelling spread to a second and third tank.

For more than eleven days, flames have risen over 50 meters—the dark skies above Tripoli could be viewed from a distance of more than 50 kilometers away.

Firefighters sprayed the tanks with water in an attempt to cool them down and the fire was almost extinguished on the fifth day, yet  ongoing clashes in areas surrounding the depot forced firefighters to leave the site, which caused the tanks to start burning again as a result of the increase in temperature. 

As fighting raged on, new tanks were hit by missile fire, raising the number of burning tanks to eight, six of which contain benzene, one diesel fuel and one kerosene—each tank has a capacity of fifteen million liters.

The burning tanks are among eighteen filled with oil derivatives. In the same depot, there are a number gas tanks for filling cooking gas cylinders.

Experts have warned that if the fire continues it may lead to an environmental and humanitarian disaster. The destructive power of the explosion of the entire depot resembles the impact of a small nuclear bomb, and the damage from the explosion will reach a distance of more than five kilometers from the center, experts say.

On July 28, the Libyan government called on all countries able to provide assistance and expertise to help put out the fire. At the local level, the government appealed to all the warring parties to stop fighting in order to enable firefighters to continue their work and extinguish the fire.

A number of European countries have expressed their willingness to help if a cease-fire is reached and if the government is able to provide the firefighting teams with military protection. However, the continued battles have prevented any international assistance.

The Libyan Oil Ministry has announced that the situation is “out of control” and has denied any responsibility for any deterioration in the situation. The Ministry warned Libyans to stay away from the site of the fire.