BEIRUT, (Reuters) – Heavy gunfire was heard at Beirut’s Hezbollah protest area on Thursday. This is near where Hezbollah’s Shiite supporters were gathered to demonstrate against the judge responsible for last year’s disastrous port explosion.

People fled for safety as sirens and shots could be heard on the live broadcast from Lebanon’s al-Jadeed TV. The reporter on the spot said that the origin of the incident at Tayouneh’s traffic circle wasn’t immediately known.

There are no reports immediately of casualties.

Tarek Bitar was dismissed by a court on Thursday. Documents show that this allowed Bitar to continue with his investigation of the August explosion which claimed more than 200 lives.

Bitar was subject to a lot of pressure by groups accusing him of bias. Hezbollah is leading the call for Bitar’s removal.

Tayouneh, which is at the border of Shi’ite Muslims and Christian neighborhoods in Beirut, was once a major battleground during the civil war between 1975-90. This is the route from Beirut’s predominantly Shi’ite suburbs to the Justice Palace where the protest was to be held.

Tensions surrounding Bitar’s probe into the blast — one of the most significant non-nuclear explosive explosions ever documented – are fueling divisions in Lebanon, and diverting attention from the need to address an economic crisis.

Bitar’s critics object to Bitar asking security and senior officials to be questioned on suspicion of negligence in order to determine if a massive ammonium-nitrate stash was allowed to explode. This resulted in more than 200 deaths and much of Beirut being devastated.

A few hundred people gathered at the courthouse on Thursday morning to protest. A few took a photo of Bitar. Lebanese troops were heavily present in this area.

Although no members were targeted in the probe, Iran-backed Hezbollah heavily arming and supporting Bitar has claimed Bitar carried out a politicized investigation that was only limited to certain people.

The list includes some of its most trusted allies, including senior Shi’ite Amal Movement figures who held ministerial positions during the seven-year period that ammonium Nitrate was unsafely stored at the port.