ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The town of Soran has canceled planned new year celebrations out of respect for victims of the deadly fire that killed 14 people earlier this month.
“New Year and Christmas celebrations are coming up over the next two weeks. We will cancel all official ceremonies to honor the souls of the victims,” Halgurd Sheikh Najib, supervisor of the Soran administration, told Rudaw on Sunday.
"We will be sharing in the grief of the families of the victims who lost their lives in the tragedy," he added.
A building that housed many students and lecturers of Soran University caught fire on December 8.
All 14 victims died from smoke inhalation, according to the health directorate.
Five people - the owner and employees of a sofa factory that was located in the building, and the owner of the building - were detained last week as part of an investigation into the cause of the blaze.
According to data from the Kurdistan Region Police Directorate, a total of 7,546 fire incidents were recorded across the Region in 2022. Faulty electricity and lack of basic safety measures are frequent contributing factors to fires and deaths.
Najib, in a press conference a day after the tragedy, vowed to heed any recommendation that comes out of the investigation.
Initial reports indicated that the fire was caused by an electrical shortage, but that has not been confirmed.
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