An investigation has been launched into Tuesday’s fire in the Balakyati region in Choman, northeastern Erbil, that is believed to have destroyed 6,000 trees, a significant swathe of green lush and pastures and bushes, which is estimated at around 4,500 dunams of land.
The past month has reportedly seen at least ten fires in the elevated areas near the Galala sub-district in the Balakayati region, Erbil province.
With each fire, significant portions of land are turned to ashes, according to local residents who believe these fires are intentionally ignited.
"People are intentionally starting these fires, and it's not by chance. This marks the tenth time this has happened. Due to the forceful wind, as we manage one side, the opposite side becomes engulfed in flames," Sarbaz Ahmed, chieftain of Galala sub-district, told Rudaw's Andam Jabar at the scene of the giant blaze.
The lush greenery of the region, sustained by trees including oak, raisin, and oak apple, was destroyed by a relentless fire.
From the lower plains to the mountain summits, even the areas teeming with spring flora like rhubarb, spear thistle, and mushrooms were transformed into a fire ring.
Ramazan Khoshkani, who leads the Galala Agriculture Office, lamented the loss, adding that the trees may have stood there for five decades.
"The destroyed trees include oak, raisin, and oak apple. There are plenty of other tree species destroyed in the blaze. Unfortunately, many of the trees might have been fifty years old or beyond," Khoshkani said of the losses their region befell.
It took five civil defense teams, along with dozens of Peshmerga forces and local residents, to extinguish the fire.
In addition to battling the flames, authorities at the border are in pursuit of individuals believed to be responsible for igniting the destructive fire in the dead of night.
"At 11:30 pm to 12:00 pm last night, we received a distressing call regarding an anonymous hand starting a massive fire in the district," Hardi Mustafa, the district director, told Rudaw, noting that a massive amount of trees and pastures have been destroyed.
"The civil defense authorities are yet to announce the scale of the damages," Mustafa said. "This is not the first time that such an incident has happened. We have learned that such fires are intentionally started and we do not yet know the identity of the suspects, nor have we received complaints with respect to this matter."
Fires are common in the Kurdistan Region during summer. Sometimes blazes are blamed on scorching weather and some other times on tourists.
Conflict is another cause. Erbil and Duhok mountainous regions bordering Turkey are the site of frequent and sporadic clashes between the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and Turkish forces. Thousands of dunams of land are destroyed as a result.
