BEIRUT: A large fire broke out in the Beirut southern suburb of Ouzai midday Sunday, destroying the building of a plastics storage and distribution company.

Ali Hamoud, the largest company of its kind in Lebanon, with clients throughout the country, stores and distributes plastic crates used for vegetables.

The cause of the fire, which started at around 12 p.m. and was contained at 3:30 p.m., is not known. Security sources say the fire covers an area of around 600 square meters, and that fumes could be seen in Antelias and Mount Lebanon.

By late Sunday afternoon, there were no reports of casualties.