Fire in Duhok’s Balavi village controlled by residents following

DUHOK — A fire that erupted in Balavi village, located in the Amedi district of Duhok governorate, was finally brought under control this morning by local residents after burning throughout the night.

The blaze, reportedly ignited by a tracer round fired in skirmishes between the Turkish military and the PKK, devastated the village’s vegetation, including hundreds of sumac and fig trees, as well as numerous ancient trees aged between 100 and 150 years.

Fuad Mohammed Ali, the mukhtar of Balavi, told 964media, “Yesterday evening around 5:00 PM, we noticed the fire in our village and learned it was caused by a tracer bullet. The fire gradually spread and continued throughout the night. Despite our efforts to contain it, which seemed successful by midnight, the blaze reignited this morning due to strong winds.”

Ali further explained, “Today, our young men succeeded in completely containing the fire. Unfortunately, a large area of the village land has been scorched, including many productive trees in farmers’ orchards and dozens of ancient trees.”