Around 30 injured after massive fire and explosions hit Iraq fuel facility
Around 30 people were injured after a massive fire broke out at a fuel facility in Iraq’s northern Sulaymaniyah province, according to local media reports.
The blaze erupted after midnight at a complex handling petroleum products in the Tanjaro area, Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported, citing Aram Ali, a spokesman for the Sulaymaniyah Civil Defense Directorate, Anadolu Agency reported.
Civil defense teams were dispatched to the site and eventually brought the fire under control.
Sulaymaniyah Deputy Governor Shaho Osman said the blaze had been completely extinguished and that the incident had not affected fuel supplies to the province.
“The fire has been completely controlled,” Osman said in comments carried by Shafaq News, adding that there was no impact on the quantities of fuel and petroleum products supplied across Sulaymaniyah.
The incident was accompanied by explosions involving tanks containing highly flammable materials, according to local media.
Security forces reportedly sealed off the area and redirected traffic as emergency crews worked to contain the blaze.
Sulaymaniyah Civil Defense Director Brig. Gen. Ari Mohammed said four firefighters sustained injuries during the emergency response and were treated at the scene.
Shafaq News reported that around 30 people suffered burns of varying severity, with most of those injured reportedly being workers and site personnel.
Most of the injured were given first aid and subsequently discharged from hospitals, according to the report.
An Iranian worker, however, remained hospitalized because of the severity of his injuries.
The fire caused a major emergency at the facility, but authorities said the blaze was ultimately contained and fuel distribution in the province continued without interruption.
The cause of the fire and the explosions was not immediately reported, and authorities had not indicated whether the incident was accidental or linked to any other cause.
The incident highlights the risks faced by workers at fuel and petroleum facilities, where highly flammable materials can turn relatively contained fires into major industrial emergencies within minutes.