Second devastating fire broke in Erbil's Langa Bazaar, many shops affected

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - Karwan Mirawdali, the Erbil Civil Defense Spokesman, informed Kurdistan24 on Monday, April 8, 2024, stating, "Seventeen civil defense teams successfully contained the fire in Langa bazaar in Erbil, and we are now in the cooling phase. The fire is no longer spreading."

 The spokesman for the Erbil Civil Defense stated that the cause of the fire is unknown.

The fire occurred in two stages. At 06:43 AM, the Erbil Civil Defense Control Room received a report of a fire in Langa bazaar in Erbil. Subsequently, the fire rekindled, and we managed to control it again.

When asked about the cause of the fire and the number of shops affected, Mirawdali responded, "We are uncertain about the cause of the fire, and the extent of damage, including the number of shops affected, is yet to be determined. We will provide further details to the public later."

This marks the second occurrence of a fire in Erbil's Langa bazaar in less than two months. "Unfortunately, this time the fire was more extensive, occurring in two separate stages," he added.

The fire was contained around 7:00 AM, with approximately beteen 50 to 60 shops burnt, primarily containing household items and clothing for men and women, according to a shopkeeper interviewed by Kurdistan24 reporter Shaima Bayiz.

"I had a tailoring shop in Erbil's Langa bazaar for five years. I was alerted to the fire this morning. Unfortunately, nothing survived, and everything in my shop was destroyed," lamented another shopkeeper.

Some shopkeepers speculated that the fire may have been deliberate due to its recurrence within a short timeframe. "All the shopkeepers had stocked goods worth millions of dinars in preparation for the upcoming holidays, only to lose everything today," they expressed.

Less than two months ago, on February 27, 2024, a fire destroyed 166 shops in Erbil's Langa bazzar. Nabaz Abdul Hamid, the governor of Erbil's central district, previously informed Kurdistan24 that the cause of that fire was attributed to the activities of workers in one of the shops.

"While the investigation revealed negligence on the part of some individuals, the incident was deemed unintentional. The investigation is ongoing, and two individuals have been arrested thus far," he confirmed.

Six years ago, on October 25, 2018, a fire ravaged approximately 2,400 shops in Erbil's Langa bazaar. Following this incident, the Kurdistan Regional Government pledged assistance to affected shopkeepers and traders in the bazaar.