Fire destroys 65 palm trees in Basra orchard

BASRA — A large fire on Tuesday burned 65 palm trees in an orchard in Shilha Al-Hajjaj area in Al-Izaddin Salim district, north of Basra.

Civil defense units from Al-Madina, Al-Qurna, and Al-Sadiq districts joined efforts to extinguish the blaze. Authorities confirmed that no casualties were reported.

A local security source told 964media that most of the destroyed palms were fruit-bearing. Losses were limited to property damage.

The cause of the fire remains unknown, and forensic teams are investigating.

In December 2024, the Directorate of Agriculture in Basra announced a notable increase in the number of palm trees in the governorate, now exceeding 2.63 million, crediting governmental support for encouraging farmers to cultivate more land.

Prominent palm varieties in Basra includes Barhi, Sayer, Bream, and Khadrawi, among others.