Daijiworld Media Network - Baghdad

Baghdad, Jul 23: At least four people died and two others sustained serious injuries after a fire engulfed a civilian house in eastern Baghdad on Wednesday, according to the Iraqi Interior Ministry.

The blaze broke out in the al-Amin neighbourhood when an electrical transformer caught fire, reportedly due to extreme heat and overload on the power system. The flames quickly spread to a nearby residential structure.

Emergency civil defence teams were dispatched to the scene and managed to extinguish the fire, officials confirmed.

The incident comes amid record-breaking summer temperatures in Iraq, with some areas soaring up to 50°C. The sweltering heat has strained infrastructure, particularly aging power systems, leading to a rise in fire-related accidents.

The tragedy follows closely on the heels of a massive blaze that occurred just days earlier in Kut, capital of Wasit province, where a fire tore through a five-story commercial complex housing a restaurant and a hypermarket.

That fire, which broke out on July 16, has since claimed the lives of 61 people, according to an official update from the Interior Ministry on July 17. Most of the victims in the Kut incident reportedly died of smoke inhalation, with 14 bodies charred beyond recognition.

The building had only been operational for a week, raising concerns about fire safety standards and regulatory oversight. Civil defence teams managed to rescue over 45 individuals from the site.

In response to the disaster, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani directed emergency medical units to provide assistance to the injured and ordered a comprehensive investigation into the incident.

Authorities continue to urge caution and call for urgent upgrades to Iraq’s overloaded electrical grid and fire safety infrastructure amid intensifying summer conditions.