Iraqi IDP dies in a camp after seizure caused fire in tent east of Mosul

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A displaced Iraqi man died on Sunday after a fire broke out in his tent in a camp, east of Mosul.

The man was 20 years old and reportedly had epilepsy, according to the administration of Hassan Sham Camp.

The fire broke out after the man stumbled on a portable gas stove, knocking it over and causing the tent to catch fire, Camp Director Rashid Safti said in a statement on Sunday.

“The man suffered a seizure,” Safti explained. “He was the father of two children.”

The man had been transferred to a hospital in Erbil by the Barzani Charity Foundation (BCF) but succumbed to his injuries there.

Hassan Sham is home to hundreds of displaced Iraqi families from Mosul, located 35 kilometers east of the city.

The blaze comes days after a similar fire burned down an IDP tent in Kirkuk Province, killing four children who had fled from the neighboring town of Hawija.

Fires have been known to erupt in shelters in Iraqi IDP camps, especially in the winter, with many families using kerosene or gas heaters to warm their makeshift homes from low temperatures.

Iraq declared victory against the Islamic State and liberated cities and towns previously under the control of the jihadist group, but over one million Iraqi IDPs continue to reside in the autonomous Kurdistan Region, refusing to return to their hometowns due to security concerns and the lack of basic services.

Editing by Nadia Riva