Qaladze cell phone store destroyed in fire

QALADZE — A cell phone store in Qaladze, Sulaymaniyah province, was destroyed by fire on Sunday morning due to an electrical short circuit, causing extensive damage.

The fire broke out around 9 a.m., shortly after the local market opened. Store owner Ali Ismail told 964media, “I was at home when fellow shopkeepers contacted me to say that my store was on fire. When I arrived, they were trying to extinguish it.”

Ismail noted that the store contained numerous expensive phones. Despite the swift response from Qaladze’s civil defense team, the fire spread rapidly, resulting in substantial losses.

“I’ve been in this business for nearly 13 years, and I’ve never experienced a day as devastating as this. I’ve lost more than $110,000 in inventory. Nonetheless, I am deeply grateful to God,” Ismail said.

The Qaladze Civil Defense Department confirmed to 964media that they received the report around 9 a.m. and arrived promptly at the scene. Firefighters managed to control the blaze, but the store had already suffered severe damage.