Fire burns two storage units in Sulaimani

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A fire tore through two large storage units in Sulaimani’s industrial area on Friday morning, without resulting in any injuries.

One of the storages contained construction materials and the other stored wood furniture, according to Aram Ali, spokesperson for Sulaimani civil defense.

“Our directorate was informed about a fire in the industrial area at around 6:00 am. We dispatched several teams to the scene immediately… We were able to control the fire shortly and prevent it from spreading,” Ali told Rudaw.

The cause of the fire and the extent of damage remain unclear and will be assessed by a relevant committee later, the spokesperson added.

Fires are a perennial concern in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region where safety standards are often lacking. They are especially frequent in the summertime, with the scorching summer heat increasing the risk of fires.

According to official data from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in May, around 1,300 fires have been reported since the start of the year, resulting in at least 60 deaths.

Safety standards also are often ignored in the country, as buildings lack adequate fire extinguishers, evacuation routes, and emergency exits.

More than 20,000 fires were recorded in Iraq in 2023, a significant number but still a decrease from 32,000 in 2022, according to data from Iraq’s civil defense.