House fire kills four children, three adults in Sulaimani's Chamchamal

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Another electrical fire in the Kurdistan Region burned down a house in the city of Chamchamal late Monday evening, killing a family of seven.

“Caused by an electrical short-circuit, a home in Chamchamal was set aflame, killing seven,” began a statement by the Police Directorate of Sulaimani Province.

Early investigations indicate the family “was using a heater, which short-circuited and resulted in a large amount of smoke,” causing “the whole family to suffocate.”

The police added that four children were among the victims, the rest being adults. “They are an internally displaced Arab family and residents in Chamchamal.”

“The bodies have been transported to the hospital for forensic analysis and further investigation into the incident.”

Early November, another house fire broke out in the town of Rania, also part of Sulaimani Province, killing three residents.

This incident took place around 2:00 am Nov. 2 in the Raparin neighborhood, Mohammed Mahmoud, a relative and neighbor of the victims, told Kurdistan 24.

The fire burned and injured six other family members. The burn victims were immediately transferred to a Sulaimani hospital as there are no local hospitals in Raparin.

Neighbors claimed the fire broke out after a cell phone blew up while being charged overnight and left on the couch. An official, however, said it was due to a short-circuit in the outlet where the phone was being charged.

Such incidents are a common occurrence due to poor electrical work in the region, with cases of major fires being recorded in recent months, notably Erbil’s Qaisary and Langa bazaars, leading to millions of dollars in repair costs.

Editing by Nadia Riva