At least four killed in fire in Iraq's capital Baghdad

Baghdad, July 23 (IANS) A fire broke out in a civilian house in eastern Baghdad on Wednesday, killing at least four and severely injuring two others, a source from the Iraqi Interior Ministry confirmed.

The incident occurred in the al-Amin neighbourhood after an electrical transformer caught fire due to high temperatures and heavy overload, sparking a blaze that quickly spread to the nearby civilian house, the source said on condition of anonymity.

Civil defence teams rushed to the scene to put out the fire, the source added.

The incident came just a few days after a massive fire broke out at a hypermarket in Kut, the capital of Iraq's eastern Wasit province, which claimed the lives of at least 61 people.

Iraq has witnessed multiple fire incidents recently, as many parts of the country are undergoing a scorching summer heat that reaches 50 degrees Celsius, Xinhua News Agency reported.

On July 17, the Interior Ministry said that the death toll from a devastating fire at a hypermarket in Kut, the capital of Iraq's Wasit province, has risen to 61.

A massive fire broke out in a five-story commercial building housing a restaurant and a hypermarket on July 16, which had only been open for seven days.

The statement said that most of the 61 victims were suffocated to death as a result of heavy smoke, and among them were 14 unidentified charred bodies.

The fire has been brought under control and civil defence teams managed to rescue over 45 people trapped inside the building, the statement added.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani had then ordered the dispatch of immediate medical assistance to support efforts in treating and caring for the injured.

--IANS

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