Nawas Sabah, the coordinator of the Iraqi civil defense directorate’s media unit, told Rudaw on Monday 21,024 fire incidents were recorded in Iraq in 2023, with most of them taking place in Baghdad. The lowest number of fires were recorded in Maysan province.
Sabah disclosed that electric faults accounted for 60 percent of the recorded fires, while 15 percent were attributed to children's activities, and seven percent were intentional. Notably, last year's data marked a 21 percent decrease from the 32,477 incidents reported in 2022.
The data does not include the Kurdistan Region.
Tragically, in late September, over 100 individuals lost their lives during a wedding in Nineveh province's Handmaniya, when a bouquet hall ignited. Additionally, in Erbil province's Soran Administration, a fire in a building housing university students and lecturers claimed the lives of fourteen individuals.
Fires are a recurrent issue in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, particularly during the summer, with causes ranging from extreme weather conditions to incidents involving tourists.
