ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A massive fire tore through a fuel warehouse in Sulaimani's Tanjaro area late Monday, injuring around 25 people, including one person who remains in critical condition, officials said.
The blaze erupted at approximately 11:57 pm on Monday, according to CCTV footage obtained by Rudaw. Firefighters and security forces rushed to the scene and worked through the night to prevent the flames from spreading to nearby facilities.
Sulaimani Deputy Governor Shaho Osman told Rudaw that around 25 people were injured in the incident and were transferred to Shorish Hospital, Shar Hospital, and the city's Burn Hospital for treatment.
"Most of the injuries are minor, except for one individual from Rojhelat [western Iran] who is in critical condition," Osman said.
He added that authorities had managed to contain the fire before it spread further. "If the spread of the fire had not been prevented, the damage would have been much greater," he said.
Osman noted that the full extent of the material losses remains unclear and that specialized teams are assessing the damage.
Earlier, Hersh Sayid Salim, deputy director general of health in Sulaimani, told Rudaw that no fatalities had been reported.
"No one died in the Tanjaro fire; 20 people were injured, and all their injuries are minor," he said, providing an early casualty figure.
During Rudaw's live coverage of the scene, several explosions were seen and heard inside the warehouse sending towering flames into the air.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Ramiyar Rizgar, spokesperson for the Sulaimani Fuel Market, said preliminary information pointed to a gasoline container, though authorities have not confirmed the cause.
"According to witnesses, the cause was a container of gasoline, but this has not yet been confirmed," Rizgar said.
Rizgar also sought to reassure residents that the incident would not disrupt fuel supplies amid widespread increase of gasoline prices in the Region.
"There is no gasoline crisis," he said, adding that the fire "will not affect gasoline prices."
Warehouse owner Sheikh Abdullah Jalal told Rudaw that "There was diesel and gasoline in the warehouse, and God willing, it will not affect the price of gasoline."
Meanwhile, Shakhawan Saeed, spokesperson for the Erbil Civil Defense, told Rudaw that emergency teams in Erbil were prepared to assist if needed.
"We are on standby with all our equipment if the Director General of Civil Defense for the Kurdistan Region requests our assistance for our brothers in Sulaimani," he said.
