Blaze lasts three hours
Massive fire engulfs Kirkuk’s historic Khan Kirdar market
KIRKUK — A devastating fire early Sunday caused significant damage to the Khan Kirdar market in Kirkuk, but the city’s civil defense teams managed to bring it under control without reported injuries or fatalities.
The fire began around 4 a.m. and was under control by 7 a.m., according to Sinan Akram, a spokesperson for the Kirkuk Civil Defense. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, with suspicions pointing to an electrical short circuit.
Established in 1883, Khan Kirdar Market is one of the city’s oldest. Eyewitnesses reported that the clothing shops were completely destroyed.
Several shop owners, already preparing for the upcoming Eid al-Adha holiday, expressed their distress to 964media about the financial impact. “We do not believe it was an electrical short circuit,” one owner said. “With Eid al-Adha approaching, we had stocked our shops, and now everything is gone.”
Another added, “The market has turned to ashes. What can we do now?”
Local authorities have yet to assess the full extent of the damage.
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