Cause unknown
Another fire strikes Erbil days after major Qaysari bazaar incident
ERBIL — A fire broke out at Baby Land, a children’s toy and equipment store in Erbil’s Nusaran neighborhood on Saturday evening. The cause has not yet been determined.
This incident follows a series of fires in the Kurdistan Region’s capital, including a devastating blaze at Qaysari Bazaar on May 5 that destroyed 227 shops and seven warehouses, injuring 132 people. The total cost of the damage is still undetermined, but one trader reported losses near $500,000. The cause of that fire also remains unclear.
Shakhawan Saeed, a spokesperson for Erbil’s Civil Defense, told 964media that 16 firefighting teams successfully contained the blaze within one hour and twenty minutes. “A couple of our personnel suffered from smoke inhalation, but thankfully, there were no fatalities,” Saeed said.
Authorities have begun investigating the cause of the fire, reviewing surveillance footage to determine the origin and potential accelerants. “We are unsure if the building had a functional fire suppression system; our investigation will clarify this,” Saeed added.
The fire sent plumes of smoke into the sky, prompting locals to swiftly remove undamaged goods from the building to prevent further losses. Abdulqader Ahmed, a nearby business owner, claims that the store suffered approximately $500,000 in losses.
As is common with such incidents in the city, a large crowd gathered around the site. While some were onlookers, others assisted in the emergency response.