Duhok records 357 incidents, 204 fires since start of year

DUHOK, Iraq — Duhok’s Civil Defense Directorate said it recorded 357 different incidents in the city since the start of the year, including 204 fires that caused about 2.5 billion Iraqi dinars in material losses. Spokesman Lt. Col. Biwar Abdulaziz said 19 drowning cases were also recorded in the same period, including one suicide by drowning in a dam. He said five other deaths were reported, four of them caused by fires. Abdulaziz added that emergency teams rescued and transferred 41 people to hospitals in drowning, traffic accident and collapse incidents. The directorate also carried out 3,035 on-site inspections in buildings in the city and surrounding areas to check fire suppression systems and safety measures. The directorate said rainfall this year led to increased growth in grass and agricultural crops, prompting it to assign 30 firefighting teams to protect wheat fields and farms.