Fires erupt across Iraq

Shafaq News – Baghdad (Updated: 5:45 p.m.)

Fires broke out Monday in Dhi Qar province and central Baghdad, eyewitnesses and security sources told Shafaq News, adding to a series of fire-related incidents across Iraq.

A small fire ignited in Baghdad’s Mansour district, caused by an electrical short in a house adjacent to the Asiacell office building. Firefighters contained the situation with no reported casualties.

Later, a large fire erupted in an orchard in northern Basra, with civil defense teams rushing to contain the flames and prevent them from spreading to nearby groves. Basra Civil Defense Director Brig. Gen. Mazen Mohammed Lafta told Shafaq News that crews quickly began efforts upon arriving at the scene.

In Dhi Qar, flames also swept through orchards south of al-Nasiriyah earlier today just before dawn. Residents said the fire quickly approached nearby homes, forcing them to battle the blaze with basic tools after civil defense units reportedly failed to respond despite repeated calls.

These latest incidents come in the wake of Iraq’s deadliest fire in years — a hypermarket blaze in Kut that claimed over 60 lives.