Fire ignited by an electric short-circuit destroyed four tents at an IDP camp in Duhok.
The fire broke out at Kabartu camp in Duhok at around 10 o’clock this morning (Wednesday 5 August 2020), and caused material damage.
Haidar Micho Khalaf’s tent and that of son were destroyed. He said: “16 individuals were living in those two tents. Both are completely burned down; we’ve lost all our possessions. I lost about $1000 and my son lost $800. We couldn’t rescue any of our stuff. We could only rescue our children.”
Khalaf said that it took a fire engine 15 minutes to reach the camp.
Basil Barakat, member of the camp’s administration, told KirkukNow: “The fire was caused by and electric short-circuit. Unfortunately three tents were completely burned down and another partially burned. Thank God the damage was only material.”
We’ve recorded all the damage and sent it to the Duhok administration for compensations
“We’ve recorded all the damage and sent it to the Duhok administration for compensations,” said Barakat.
For the 6000 tents at the Kabartu camp, where people displaced by ISIS reside, there is only one fire engine.
Barakat added: “Due to a punctured tire, the fire engine was delayed for 10 minutes. Had it reached the location of the fire on time, the damage would certainly be less; probably only one tent would be burned down.”
On 17 July another fire destroyed nine caravans at the Qadiya camp in Duhok and caused other material damage.
