Lighting strike
Forest fire destroys 124 acres of land in Penjwen
PENJWEN — A forest fire caused by lightning burned 124 acres of forest and grazing land in Sulaymaniyah’s Penjwen district on Sunday. The fire was controlled by forest police teams and local residents.
Hemin Kamarkhan, spokesperson for the Sulaymaniyah Forest Police and Environment Police Directorate, told 964media, “Today, a fire broke out in the vicinity of Gokhlan village, part of the Garmk sub-district in Penjwen district. The fire, caused by lightning, resulted in the burning of more than 500 dunams of grazing land and trees.”
Kamarkhan added that upon the outbreak of the fire, a unit from the local forest police reached the affected area. With the assistance of the Penjwen Forest Police and local residents, they managed to control the blaze.
Lightning has caused significant casualties and damage this year, with regular reports of incidents. In the first seven days of May alone, lightning strikes have killed five people and injured three others in the country.
On May 7, two individuals lost their lives due to lightning strikes. One, a Peshmerga, was struck while on duty, and the other, a 13-year-old boy, was struck near his home in Erbil while playing outside.
The day before, three other fatalities occurred due to lightning strikes. Two were in a village within Erbil’s boundaries, and another was a shepherd in a village within the Taza sub-district in Kirkuk.
In April, a Peshmerga from the 15th Brigade of the Kurdistan Peshmerga Forces lost his life due to a lightning strike while on duty in the Dibaga sub-district, part of Makhmour.
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