Iraq fuel depot fire injures 41 and destroys 38 tankers
25 August 2026
A fire at a fuel storage depot in the Tanjaro area of Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, injured 41 people and destroyed 38 fuel tankers. The incident occurred shortly before midnight on 17 August 2026. Civil Defence brought the fire under control after several hours. The cause remained under investigation.
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A fire broke out shortly before midnight on 17 August at a fuel storage depot in the Tanjaro area of Sulaymaniyah, in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region.
Several explosions were reported as the fire spread through the facility, involving fuel tanker vehicles. Sulaymaniyah Civil Defence deployed firefighting teams to the site and worked to prevent the fire from spreading to surrounding areas.
The Sulaymaniyah General Directorate of Health reported 41 injuries, including six Civil Defence personnel. Nineteen people were treated at the scene and 22 were transported to hospital. Twenty-one of those hospitalised were subsequently discharged, while one remained in hospital in serious condition.
No fatalities were reported in the official updates available following the incident.
Civil Defence reported that 34 petrol tankers and four gas-oil tankers were destroyed. Initial estimates indicated that more than three million litres of fuel were lost.
Authorities said the fire was contained within the storage yard. Civil Defence also rejected reports that the facility had been targeted by a drone.
The ignition cause had not been finally established. In a preliminary account, Civil Defence said the fire began during the transfer of petrol from a tanker to a storage tank and that an electrical contact involving a pump motor reportedly generated a spark. This account remained subject to investigation.
Other early reports referred to possible electrical or technical problems. No final determination of the ignition source had been reported.
Local reporting identified Sheikh Abdullah Jalal as the owner of the warehouse. The available reports reviewed did not identify the company operating the facility.
The investigation into the cause of the fire and the circumstances surrounding the incident remained ongoing.