Baghdad civil defense controls fire in six-story Hillani building, no casualties reported

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Civil defense teams in Baghdad brought a fire at a six-story residential and commercial building in the central Hillani district under control on Friday, with no casualties or injuries reported, according to the Baghdad Civil Defense Directorate. The fire intensified on the sixth floor, where storage areas were located. Firefighters used newly deployed hydraulic ladder vehicles to reach the flames while simultaneously evacuating families from the building to prevent the blaze from spreading. The directorate said the operation kept the fire from reaching other floors and limited financial damage to a minimum, adding that modern equipment was used effectively during the rescue and extinguishing effort. No information was provided on the cause of the fire.