Erbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – An explosion at a gas station in southeast Erbil early Saturday morning sparked a massive fire that injured five people and caused heavy material damage, according to eyewitnesses and local sources.
The incident occurred around 8 a.m. in the Farmanbaran neighborhood when a fuel tanker caught fire during the process of transferring fuel to the station’s storage tank. The blaze quickly spread, igniting nearby vehicles and destroying large parts of the site.
Eighteen firefighting crews responded to the scene and worked for several hours to contain the fire. The station, which sells Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)-subsidized fuel, suffered extensive damage but no fatalities were reported.
The owner of the gas station, Jangi Majid, mentioned that five individuals sustained burns to their arms and were lightly injured.
Witnesses described a powerful explosion that shook the surrounding area. “I could feel the heat on my face outside my door,” one resident said, adding that all the windows in their home shattered. Others recounted moments of fear and confusion as smoke filled the sky and residents fled their homes.
“The blast was very loud and could be felt from a distance,” another witness told Kurdish Weekly. “We ask that gas stations not be built near homes—people could burn.”
The fire was eventually brought under control, and authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the explosion.
