Erbil Governor announces over $1,000 aid per fire victim
Shafaq News/ On Monday, the Governor of Erbil, Omed Khoshnaw, announced that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) will provide two million dinars ($1,526.72) to each person affected by the fires at the Bala and Sheikh Allah markets in the city.
In a statement, Khoshnaw noted, "66 shops were burned in the first fire, 48 in the second one, and 17 shops in the Sheikh Allah market."
Khoshnaw added, "50% of the renovation work at the Qaysari Bazaar in Erbil has been completed, with two companies handling the project and 600 million dinars ($91,603.20) allocated for the renovation of the Bala market.”
On Sunday, September 9, a fire broke out at Erbil's Auto Accessories Market, just a week after a major blaze caused substantial damage, though no casualties were reported.
Two days later, Erbil’s local government formed a special committee to investigate and assess the damage.
Notably, Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region (KRI), has reported nearly 1,000 fires in 2024, many attributed to deliberate acts or electrical faults. The most severe incident occurred at the Qaysari Bazaar, where 227 shops and 7 warehouses were destroyed, and 132 people were injured.
The Federal Ministry of Interior and the KRG’s Ministry of Interior have arrested individuals involved in the fires in Erbil, Duhok, and Kirkuk. The suspects, linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), were planning attacks on markets in Baghdad, the Ceyhan oil pipeline, and Erbil’s electricity network.
