ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A massive blaze, which broke out at an asphalt storage facility in Erbil province late Wednesday, has been brought under control after raging for around 20 hours, civil defence spokesperson said. "In less than 20 hours, we were able to control the fire. At this hour, the fire has been controlled,” Shakhawan Saeed told reporters on Thursday. The incident took place on Erbil-Gwer road where several oil refineries are also present. Saeed added that 150 firefighters participated in putting out the blaze. "The fire was initially controlled up to 80 percent, but due to a rise in temperatures" the firefighters lost control of the blaze which "led to the spread of the fire and another storage catching on fire." Fourteen workers were injured and four fire trucks were burned but there were no casualties, according to the spokesperson. Fires are a perennial concern in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region where safety standards are often lacking. They are especially frequent in the summertime, with the scorching summer heat increasing risks of fires breaking out. Safety standards are also often ignored in the country, and buildings lack adequate fire extinguishers and emergency facilities such as evacuation routes. A total of 7,546 fire incidents were recorded across the Kurdistan Region in 2022, according to data from the Region’s Police Directorate.
