Fire damages restaurant in Erbil’s English Village complex

ERBIL — A fire broke out Monday afternoon at a restaurant in the English Village area of Erbil, causing significant property damage but no injuries, according to local civil defense officials.

Shakhawan Saeed, spokesperson for the Erbil Civil Defense Directorate, told 964media the fire started around 12:30 p.m.

“Our teams responded quickly and managed to bring the fire under control,” he said.

The restaurant sustained extensive material losses. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The incident follows a series of recent fire outbreaks in the region. Last Wednesday, a blaze in Erbil’s Northern Industrial Zone damaged three shops and a vehicle before it was contained. No injuries were reported in that case either.

Between January and October 2024, the Erbil Civil Defense Directorate recorded 2,057 fire incidents. Dry vegetation was the leading cause, accounting for 842 cases. Fires during that period caused 46 deaths — 22 from burns and 24 from suffocation — and left 89 others injured. Civil defense teams also rescued 56 individuals and 11 vehicles.