Second blaze hits Erbil's Auto Accessories Market in a week
Shafaq News/ On Sunday, a second fire broke out at Erbil's Auto Accessories Market in the Kurdistan Region (KRI), just a week after a major blaze caused substantial damage.
Shakhwan Saeed, spokesperson for the Erbil Civil Defense, told Shafaq News, “The fire was sparked by construction and renovation work, including the use of welding equipment.”
“The incident lasted about 40 minutes, and three firefighting teams managed to contain the blaze without any casualties.”
On Monday, a fire at the same market caused significant damage but no injuries. Erbil’s local government has since formed a special committee to investigate and assess the damage.
Erbil has reported nearly 1,000 fires in 2024, many attributed to deliberate acts or electrical faults. The most severe incident occurred at the Al-Qaisaryah Market, where 227 shops and seven warehouses were destroyed, and 132 people were injured.
The Federal Ministry of Interior and the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Ministry of Interior have arrested individuals involved in the fires in Erbil, Duhok, and Kirkuk. The suspects, linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), were planning attacks on markets in Baghdad, the Ceyhan oil pipeline, and Erbil’s electricity network.
