Fire at electrical panel factory in north Baghdad extinguished, no casualties

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Firefighters fully extinguished a large fire on Monday morning at an electrical panel manufacturing plant in the Taji area, north of the Iraqi capital, the Baghdad Civil Defense Directorate said. Fourteen specialized firefighting teams were dispatched to the scene to contain the blaze, according to a written statement from the directorate. The flames were concentrated in three wide-roofed sections of the facility built with highly flammable sandwich panels. Crews contained the fire to prevent it from spreading before completing cooling operations, the directorate said. Officials said no casualties or injuries were reported and that damage was limited to material losses. A forensic specialist was called to the site and a formal investigation has been opened to determine the cause of the fire, according to the statement.