Fire losses in Duhok hit $1,6M+ in 2026
Shafaq News- Duhok
Civil Defense teams in Duhok province recorded 357 incidents since the beginning of 2026, including 204 fires that caused material losses estimated at 2.5 billion Iraqi dinars (about $1.62M), with an increase of about 35 million dinars compared with last month, a Civil Defense official told Shafaq News on Tuesday.
Biwar Abdulaziz, the Directorate’s spokesperson, stated that the province also recorded 19 drowning incidents, along with five other fatalities, including one suicide by drowning in a dam and four deaths caused by blazes. He added that Civil Defense teams rescued 41 people during the same period from drowning, traffic accidents, and structural collapses before transferring them to hospitals for treatment.
The directorate carried out 3,035 field inspections of buildings, residential complexes, and other sites in and around Duhok to verify the availability of firefighting systems, automatic fire-control equipment, and compliance with safety regulations.
During the harvest season, he explained that abundant rainfall this year contributed to significant growth in vegetation and crops, prompting the directorate to implement a preventive plan to protect wheat fields and farms from fires. “The plan includes deploying 30 firefighting teams across agricultural areas to reduce response times and contain any outbreaks quickly.”
As for the summer swimming season, Abdulaziz pointed out that diving teams have been stationed at dams, rivers, and other water sites to respond to drowning incidents. He noted that heavy rainfall has altered the conditions of many water bodies and raised water levels compared with last year.
