The fire in Baghdad’s al-Amin neighborhood engulfed a family home with ten members inside, killing six and leaving four survivors.
“The incident happened after the AC unit exploded and the fire instantly spread upstairs. One of them started screaming and said my parents have gone,” Riyadh Mushir, a neighbor and witness, told Rudaw.
A grandmother, mother, and four children lost their lives in the blaze.
Mustafa Saadi, another witness, said the survivors “managed to escape with the help of people.”
Civil defense teams arrived and managed to contain the fire, and the dead were taken to Najaf’s famed Wadi al-Salam cemetery for burial.
Iraq has been hit by a string of fires recently.
Earlier in July, a massive fire at a newly opened shopping mall in the eastern Wasit province killed at least 77 people, with most victims succumbing to smoke inhalation. The incident sparked public outrage over the lack of emergency exits and lax safety standards.
Wasit Governor Mohammed Jamil al-Mayahi resigned over backlash after the incident.
Fires are a perennial concern in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, where enforcement of fire and safety regulations is often inadequate. The risks increase significantly during the summer months, when extreme heat exacerbates the potential for electrical faults and other fire hazards.
Contributing factors include aging infrastructure, overcrowded public spaces, poor electrical systems, and a widespread lack of basic fire safety measures.
Ziyad Ismail contributed to this report.
