WATCH: Fire breaks out in Peshmerga weapon warehouse in Sulaimani
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A late-night fire broke out at a weapons depot in the Kurdistan Region’s province of Sulaimani on Monday, wounding four Peshmerga fighters, two days after a similar incident in Erbil.
Authorities have yet to announce what caused the blaze but incidents of this kind are not isolated. Temperatures rising in the region and improper storage of dangerous materials or exposed wires increase the risks of fires breaking out in urban areas.
The Peshmerga warehouse is located in Tasluja area, near the highway leading into the city of Sulaimani.
Photos and videos circulating on social media showed large flames engulfing the area, with smoke covering the sky.
A security source told Kurdistan 24 that four Peshmerga were wounded as the fire raged on.
Residents in the area described what they heard as “big explosions” where the fire broke out.
Authorities have yet to assess the damage caused to the warehouse and the area.
Residents nearby left their homes Monday night, fearing shrapnel from the blasts and the fire would reach their neighborhoods.
On June 30, Erbil witnessed a similar incident in the subdistrict of Baharka, the third weapon warehouse fire in the capital in less than three years.
On the same day, in the province of Babylon, south of Baghdad, a fire broke out at a weapons storage unit belonging to a Shia Hashd al-Shaabi (PMF) militia group.
Editing by Nadia Riva