Sulaimani’s Mount Goizha fire extinguished at dawn: Governor
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A massive blaze tore through scores of tress on Mount Goizha, located in the Kurdistan Region's Sulaimani province, in an early Friday incident that firefighters brought under control at dawn.
The fire resulted in no causalities, according to Sulaimani Governor Haval Abubakir.
جانب من الحريق الذي شب في جبل "گویژة" في السليمانية#كوردستان
— Kurdistan24 عربية (@arabick24) September 4, 2020
بعدسة: آرام بختيار/ كوردستان 24 pic.twitter.com/RvveQn9N0n
In a three hour battle, "the wildfire was put under control at 5 a.m." on Goizha, Abubakir said. Firefighters extinguished the last of the flames with the aid of the civil defense units, the security forces, and the nearby residents, he added.
As temperatures spike during the summertime to over 50 C degrees, occasional wildfires occur across the region's rural and mountainous areas.
هذا ما خلفه حريق جبل "گویژة" في السليمانية
— Kurdistan24 عربية (@arabick24) September 4, 2020
تصوير: بوتان كرمياني#كوردستان pic.twitter.com/ihK84MYqHv
Mount Goizha is a tourist attraction for domestic and foreign visitors during weekends and holidays. It overlooks Sulaimani city, with many food vendors operating on the sides of the road to the area.
The local government has installed benches picnic-goers to use. Some visitors, however, set up open fires to cook food, at times prompting warnings from authorities that such acts may cause fires.
"There are violations on this public property by visitors," said Rekan Jamal, spokesperson for Sulaimani's civil defense department, when speaking to Kurdistan 24 on Friday, referring to open fires that are often improperly handled.
The official added that there were no casualties in the incident, but noted the environmental damages to the area.
"The minimum age of a tree [planted in the bottom of Mount Goizha] is 20 years," Jamal said. The fire burnt many trees, raising fears that it would have long-term impacts on Sulaimani's air quality.
Governor Abubakir vowed to launch an investigation into the incident to find the potential causes or negligent acts that led to it.
Editing by Khrush Najari