Fire in Kut industrial zone destroys workshops as new governor orders closures

WASIT — Civil Defense teams on Wednesday extinguished a major fire in the industrial zone of Kut that burned through two auto repair and spare parts complexes, damaging several vehicles on Damouk Street, also known as Al-Huqooqyeen.

The incident prompted newly appointed Wasit Governor Hadi Al-Hamashi to order the immediate closure of all unauthorized repair workshops in the area.

A statement from the governor’s office said firefighting units relied on newly deployed equipment from Baghdad to bring the blaze under control. The directive also mandates the closure of all shops and warehouses operating in residential areas without meeting Civil Defense and professional safety standards. Al-Hamashi instructed Kut municipality, provincial police, and Civil Defense to enforce the closures without waiting for routine administrative procedures.

A security source told 964media the fire began in a non-compliant workshop and spread to an adjacent complex, destroying both and around five vehicles. “Nearby houses were evacuated immediately. No casualties were reported,” the source said. Equipment from local police and public service departments was also used.

Residents of Damouk Street said the area was originally developed as a residential neighborhood in the 1980s but gradually transformed into an extension of the industrial zone by the 1990s. “Most of these workshops violate safety regulations and pose a risk to our lives,” one resident told 964media. “We demand urgent action to hold those responsible accountable.”

The incident follows a deadly fire in Kut in July that killed at least 61 people and triggered widespread public anger. Families of the victims began nightly protests outside the governorate building, escalating to an open-ended sit-in on July 22 demanding the dismissal and prosecution of local officials. Former Wasit Governor Mohammed Jameel Al-Mayahy submitted his resignation the following day.

In the wake of that fire, Iraq’s Interior Ministry reported that 610 commercial and industrial facilities had been closed nationwide for violating Civil Defense regulations.

Later in July, authorities in Baghdad’s Rusafa district shuttered around 700 commercial projects in the Shorja area and surrounding neighborhoods for failing to meet safety requirements.

Before his resignation, Al-Mayahy warned of the scale of the problem. “If we wanted to close all buildings that do not meet safety requirements, we would have to shut down 90% of the shops in Wasit. These people would protest in the streets,” he said in a televised interview.