Drone Attacks Spark Major Fire at Motor Oil Depot Near Erbil
“The repeated bombardment and the scale of the fire have left nothing inside the depot untouched by flames,” the Erbil governor said
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — A series of drone attacks struck a motor oil storage facility on the outskirts of Erbil early Wednesday, triggering a massive fire and raising fresh concerns about the spillover of regional tensions into the Kurdistan Region.
In a statement to Kurdistan24, Erbil governor Omed Xoshnaw said the first drone attack occurred at approximately 7:30 a.m., targeting a depot storing automotive motor oil. Civil defense teams were immediately dispatched to the scene to contain the blaze.
However, as emergency crews battled the fire, a second drone struck the same location at around 8:40 a.m., followed by a third attack at approximately 10:20 a.m. Xoshnaw confirmed that a total of three drones hit the facility directly, while a fourth drone was intercepted and detonated mid-air before reaching its target.
“The repeated bombardment and the scale of the fire have left nothing inside the depot untouched by flames,” Xoshnaw said, adding that emergency personnel were later instructed to withdraw from the immediate area due to safety concerns.
Given the intensity of the fire and the absence of salvageable materials, authorities are now allowing the blaze to burn out under controlled conditions, prioritizing the safety of security forces and civil defense teams, according to Xoshnaw.
No casualties have been reported so far.