Wheat field fire destroys 5 hectares in Iraq’s Kirkuk province
Shafaq News- Kirkuk
A large fire destroyed nearly 50 dunams (5 hectares) of wheat farmland in southern Kirkuk province, north-central Iraq, on Wednesday during the harvest season, causing material losses for local farmers without any reported casualties, a Civil Defense source told Shafaq News.
The blaze erupted around noon in fields belonging to farmers in the village of Kalisa in Daquq district. High temperatures and strong winds accelerated its spread before civil defense teams managed, after several hours, to contain the flames and prevent them from reaching nearby orchards and farmland.
Authorities have opened an investigation into the cause of the fire, with preliminary findings yet to determine whether it resulted from an electrical short circuit or human activity.
The incident comes as Kirkuk expects wheat production to reach around 600,000 tons this season, reinforcing the province’s position as one of Iraq’s main grain-producing areas. Kirkuk Agriculture Directorate head Zuhair Ali Hussein told our agency in late April 2026 that average yields had reached around 1,250 kilograms per dunam, citing improved farming methods, technical support, and relatively favorable weather conditions.
Farmland fires frequently break out across southern Kirkuk during harvest season and often cause major crop losses as temperatures rise. In May 2025, firefighters extinguished another major blaze in Kirkuk farmland and saved more than 100,000 square meters of wheat nearing harvest, with civil defense officials attributing the fire at the time to an electrical short circuit and urging farmers to follow safety measures during harvesting operations.
(1 hectare = 10 dunams)
