Massive fire hits Iraqi capital: Smoke inhalation cases registered

Shafaq News – Baghdad

A major fire broke out on Monday in eastern Baghdad, triggering the deployment of more than 50 Civil Defense vehicles, a security source told Shafaq News.

According to the source, the blaze erupted in the al-Talbiya district, sweeping through a row of commercial shops before spreading into two nearby homes.

At least four people suffered smoke inhalation, including a Civil Defense responder, while teams continued cooling operations to prevent flare-ups after the blaze caused substantial material losses.

Iraq has recorded more than 55,000 fires nationwide—excluding the Kurdistan Region—since 2022, according to official data. Civil Defense attributes most incidents to faulty electrical systems, flammable construction materials such as sandwich panels, fireworks, and, in some cases, arson linked to tribal disputes.

One of the deadliest incidents this year occurred in Kut, the capital of Wasit province, where a massive fire killed at least 70 people, many of them women and children, and injured dozens more.