Iraq’s summer fires: Electrical faults, weak safety, no quick fix – Shafaq News

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Electrical faults, weak safety systems, and the lack of
basic firefighting equipment in homes are making fires more common in Iraq than
in many other countries, an economic expert told Shafaq News on Saturday.

Karim Al-Hilu stated that electricity and the poor quality
of materials used in buildings and homes are the main causes in Iraq. “A
single improperly insulated electrical cable can burn down an entire
building,” he explained.

The problem is cumulative, complex, and difficult to resolve
quickly, as some agricultural fires may occur naturally because of extreme heat
or dust storms, while others could be deliberate, either to obtain compensation
or for acts of sabotage.

On measures to prevent such incidents, the Director of
Relations and Media at Iraq’s General Directorate of Civil Defense, Nuas Sabah
Shaker, told Shafaq News that the authority has implemented a comprehensive
plan for the harvest based on years of experience in dealing with fires and has
completed all measures aimed at protecting Iraq’s food supply and strategic
crops, particularly wheat and barley, through a multi-stage strategy ranging
from public awareness campaigns to field deployment.

According to Shaker, the directorate follows a “mutual
support plan” under which firefighting teams are redeployed from northern
provinces to southern and central areas according to the harvest schedule. The
season begins in Basra, Maysan, and Dhi Qar before moving to Nineveh, Kirkuk,
and Al-Anbar.

Economic expert Mustafa Al-Faraj argued that fires are no
longer isolated emergencies but a “continuous economic burden,”
warning that blazes affecting infrastructure, particularly in the energy sector
and private power generators, increase production costs, undermine the
investment environment, and place repeated pressure on public finances.

Crop fires reduce domestic agricultural output, increase
reliance on imports, strain foreign currency reserves, and widen the trade
deficit, Al-Faraj pointed out.

He argued that addressing the issue requires more than
security measures, calling for investment in early warning systems and the
modernization of civil defense capabilities with advanced technologies,
including artificial intelligence.

Fire incidents remain a regular feature of daily news
coverage in Iraq, affecting farmlands, popular markets, hospitals, and private
electricity generators. The recurring blazes continue to cause casualties and material
losses.