ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Security officials (Asayish) in Sulaimani have announced the arrest of three people alleged to be responsible for last month’s massive Mount Goizha fire. “After investigations conducted by the General Directorate of Operations of Asayish, they were able to arrest three suspects … involved in setting fire to trees, vegetation, and damaging a part of the beautiful environment of Mount Goizha,” the Asayish said in a statement on Sunday. A massive fire spread across Sulaimani city’s renowned Mount Goizha in late July, burning around 200 dunams (0.2 square-kilometers) of land. Hundreds of trees burned in the blaze. The statement noted that the suspects were charged under Article 342 of the Iraqi Penal Code. They face up to five years of imprisonment for the suspected arson. Sulaimani Mayor Awat Mohammed has said officials have attempted to implement fire-mitigating measures over the years. “Companies, forest rangers, and other parties have been attempting to preserve this forest for years, but then suddenly a fire erupts and it burns. We do not know why,” he said on July 29. In the hot and dry summer, fires are easily sparked and can spread quickly in the Kurdistan Region. Scenic Mount Goizha overlooks the city of Sulaimani and is a popular spot for picnics and sightseeing. A similar fire burned through the forests of Goizha in September 2020, believed to have been sparked by a picnicker’s shisha pipe. Two men confessed to starting the fire a month following the incident.
