The first phase of efforts to treat the rubble and charred debris at the Beirut port silos concluded Sunday, as part of a plan developed by the Karantina Fire Brigade, according to the state-run National News Agency. 

The weeks-long process to treat the silos was announced Thursday by caretaker Environment Minister Nasser Yassin in a tweet. The first phase, which concluded Sunday, reduced the temperature in the silos’ target area from 450 degrees to below 40 degrees, according to the NNA.

On Tuesday morning, the silos’ remaining north section collapsed after it had been on fire since the beginning of July. A piece of the northern silos collapsed on July 31, followed by a second collapse on Aug. 4, the two-year anniversary of the Beirut blast. 

Following the north section’s final collapse and stability of the southern section, Prime Minister Najib Mikati indicated that a demolition decree approved by the Cabinet in March would be revoked and the southern part of the port silos would be preserved.

In an interview with Mohamad Abiad, senior adviser to Yassin, Abiad said the ministry still needs to quantify the amount of grain remaining to assess the full scope of the removal, noting that the entire process would take weeks to complete. Abiad added that the Environment Ministry will conduct a study on the proper disposal of the rubble created by the collapse of the silos’ northern section. According to the NNA, the second phase will begin Monday, with the aim of removing the burnt debris from the silos.