WATCH: Fire breaks out in Kirkuk clothing market, bystandards rush to help

 ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A fire broke out on Sunday in a clothing market in the city of Kirkuk, with no human casualties reported, according to local civil defense authorities.

Exposed wires in the streets of the market short-circuited, sparking a fire in the busy area, the civil defense team told Kurdistan 24. 

Videos posted on Kurdish social media networks show flames emanating from a clothing shop in Kirkuk city’s central bazaar area and bystanders trying to help firefighters extinguish the fire.

The fire caused considerable collateral material damage to nearby shops, but there were no human casualties, the civil defense team informed Kurdistan 24.

“Civil defense teams were able to quickly extinguish the fire before it spread to other shops,” an eyewitness told Kurdistan 24.

Electrical fires are quite common in Iraq, especially during the summertime. High temperatures, a strained power grid, and tangled, exposed wires, are a safety risk which has yet to be addressed by governing authorities. 

Refugee and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are also at risk, with an electrical fire claiming the life of a 17-year-old girl just last week. 

Since the fall of the former dictatorial regime in 2003, Iraqi governments have struggled to provide reliable and regular electricity to its millions of citizens.

Editing by Nadia Riva