ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Firefighting teams on Saturday brought a fire near Sulaimani under control after battling the blaze for nearly four hours, as strong winds fueled its spread toward nearby villages.
The fire broke out in the vicinity of the villages of Khamza and Qularash late Friday, with firefighting teams telling Rudaw’s Nizar Jaza that the blaze had been extinguished.
“The fire has spread toward Sitak, specifically in the area of the villages of Khamza and Qularash, but it has not reached Mount Azmar,” Aram Ali, spokesperson for Sulaimani Civil Defense, told Rudaw before the fire was extinguished.
Mount Azmar is located east of Sulaimani city.
Civil defense and health teams were dispatched to the area, with local volunteers also joining efforts to contain the blaze.
Strong winds helped the fire spread, complicating efforts to bring it under control.
Ali said the cause of the fire and the extent of the damage had yet to be determined. Another local official, however, attributed the blaze to an electrical short circuit.
Wildfires are common in the Kurdistan Region during the hot and dry summer months, with high temperatures, strong winds and dry vegetation allowing flames to spread rapidly.
In July, a large fire also broke out on Sulaimani’s Goizha mountain, fueled by arid conditions and dry vegetation.
