Second incident this week
Parked car catches fire in Basra as officials blame extreme heat
BASRA — A fire broke out in a parked car in front of a school in the Al-Ghadir neighborhood in central Basra on Wednesday, as temperatures soared to 50 degrees Celsius.
The car’s owner, Hussein Hamid, reported that the fuel tank exploded due to the ongoing heatwave. He noted that the fire brigade arrived late, and a nearby water tanker owner along with some passersby helped him extinguish the fire.
The vehicle was completely destroyed, but no human casualties were reported.
This incident marks the second such occurrence within a week in Basra. Last Thursday, another car caught fire in the Hamdan Industrial area, south of the governorate.
“My car, a yellow 2010 Chevrolet Aveo, was parked in front of Noor Al-Jawadeen Private School,” Hamid told 964media. “With the temperature rising at noon, the fuel tank suddenly exploded. The fire brigade arrived much later, after the fire had been extinguished and the car was completely burnt.”
A Civil Defense source told 964media, “We received a report about the fire and dispatched the fire truck from our station near the traffic control on the highway at the entrance to Basra, which is the closest station to the fire location. Traffic congestion delayed our timely arrival. Unfortunately, we often face a lack of cooperation from drivers during fire emergencies.”
Drivers in Basra's Al-Zubair district call for fix to dangerous roadway
