Kirkuk records third wheat field fire in one week
Shafaq News- Kirkuk
A fire that broke out in Al-Hawija district in Kirkuk province, north-central Iraq, destroyed 22 dunams (2.2 hectares) of wheat fields on Sunday before civil defense teams managed to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading to nearby farmland.
No injuries were reported, with damage limited to material losses affecting the wheat crop, a source told Shafaq News. Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the fire and assess the full extent of the damage.
Farmland fires frequently break out across southern Kirkuk during the harvest season, often causing significant crop losses. Earlier this week, a blaze destroyed nearly 50 dunams of wheat fields in the province, while another fire damaged around 10 dunams of crops in Al-Hawija on May 30.
Kirkuk Agriculture Directorate projected wheat production to reach around 600,000 tons this season, reinforcing the province’s position as one of Iraq’s main grain-producing areas. The Head of the Directorate, Zuhair Ali Hussein, told our agency in late April 2026 that average yields had reached around 1,250 kilograms per dunam, citing improved farming methods, technical support, and relatively favorable weather conditions.
(10 dunams = 1 hectare)
