Shafaq News- Al-Sulaymaniyah

A massive fire at a fuel depot and asphalt plant in Al-Sulaymaniyah’s Tanjaro industrial area injured around 30 people and destroyed 38 fuel tankers before firefighters brought it under control early Tuesday.

The blaze, which broke out after midnight, damaged 34 tankers loaded with gasoline and four carrying gas oil, with more than three million liters of gasoline lost in the fire, a source at the facility told Shafaq News.

Flames and explosions lit up the night sky and were visible from up to 60 kilometers away, a Shafaq News correspondent reported.

Civil Defense Director Brig. Gen. Ari Mohammed said crews brought the fire under control after four hours and 20 minutes, with all available firefighting teams in the city deployed to the site. Four firefighters were among those injured.

Around 30 people, mostly site personnel, suffered burns. Most received treatment at the scene or were discharged from hospital, while an Iranian worker remains hospitalized with serious injuries.

Al-Sulaymaniyah Deputy Governor Shaho Osman said the fire would not affect fuel supplies in the province. The district mayor Fazil Omar said damage was confined to the depot and adjoining asphalt plant, with nearby storage facilities unaffected.

The source said the fire started when fuel spilled from a bucket a worker was carrying and ignited. Workers attempted to extinguish the flames with water, but leaked fuel on the ground helped the fire spread rapidly. Fire extinguishers at the facility were not functioning properly, the source added.