A massive fire erupted at a fuel depot near Sulaimaniyah in Iraq's Kurdistan region, injuring at least 20 people and engulfing dozens of oil tankers.
According to footage verified by Al Jazeera, flames and thick plumes of smoke rose high over the area. The blaze broke out around midnight at a warehouse in the Tanjaro district, one of the main fuel supply points in Sulaimaniyah province.
Hersh Saeed Saleem, Deputy Director General of Sulaimaniyah province, confirmed there were no fatalities, but about 20 people were injured, all with minor wounds. Meanwhile, local news agency Shafaq News, citing local sources, reported two burn cases, with one person requiring hospital treatment.
Emergency and security forces quickly arrived at the scene as the fire spread. Multiple explosions were recorded as the blaze moved through the facility. According to Shafaq News, 34 gasoline tankers and 4 diesel tankers were destroyed, with flames consuming over 3 million liters of fuel.
Deputy Governor of Sulaimaniyah, Shaho Osman, said the fire has been brought under control. The cause of the fire remains unclear. Civil defense teams from Sulaimaniyah are leading firefighting efforts, while forces in the nearby city of Erbil are on standby to assist if deployed.
Authorities have not released a full damage assessment for the area. However, Sulaimaniyah fuel market spokesperson Ramyar Rizgar and warehouse owner Sheikh Abdullah stated they do not expect the fire to push up gasoline prices in the region.
