Fire near sulfur factory in southern Mosul may cause breathing issues: Official

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A fire broke out on Wednesday near an Iraqi sulfur factory in southern Mosul, killing one firefighter and injuring two more, the local civil defense team said.

The fire burned through a large area in the Shura district, with smoke covering the sky in the area.

“Firefighters extinguished the blaze before reaching the sulfur factory… should the fire have reached the factory, a catastrophe could have happened,” Sirwan Rojbayani, deputy governor of Nineveh province, told Kurdistan 24 on Thursday.

He mentioned that the cause of the fire is yet  unknown, and they have formed two local committees to investigate the incident.

Rojbayani added that they had received civil defense team support from surrounding provinces to control the fire.

One firefighter did, however, die in the line of duty and two more werevwounded after a fire truck rolled over while rushing to the site.

Although authorities state the fire did not reach the Mishraq factory, a cloud of white and black smoke rising in the area have caused breathing problem for many local people.

Saeed Amir, the director of the factory, told Kurdistan 24 that the fire was quickly spreading due to strong winds in the area, which made it difficult for the civil defense team to control the flames.

He mentioned that some sulfur had been burnt around the area, which is believed to may cause breathing problems for some, but stressed that the factory and its sulfur stockpiles were not burnt.

Over the past two months, fires have been devastating thousands of acres of agricultural land in Iraq, including areas in Nineveh province.

Editing by Nadia Riva 

(Additional reporting by Bless Shaweys)