Dozens of tankers destroyed in major fuel depot blaze in Northern Iraq

A large fire tore through a major fuel storage depot in the Tanjaro area near Sulaimaniyah in northern Iraq’s Kurdish region late Monday, injuring at least 20 people and destroying dozens of tankers.

The blaze erupted just before midnight at one of the province’s primary fuel supply sites, sending thick plumes of smoke and flames into the sky over the city.

Footage captured the intensity of the inferno as emergency crews and security forces rushed to the scene.

Hersh Saeed Saleem, the deputy director general of Sulaimaniyah, told the Rudaw Media Network that no one was killed in the incident.

“Some 20 people had been hurt, with all injuries described as minor,” he said.

Local outlet Shafaq News separately reported two burn cases, noting that one person required hospital treatment while the other remained in stable condition.

Several explosions were heard as the flames rapidly spread through the facility.

According to a local source who spoke to Shafaq News on condition of anonymity, 34 petrol tankers and four gas-oil tankers were destroyed.

The fire consumed more than three million litres of fuel after a leak onto the ground ignited and quickly engulfed the site.

“Fuel leaked onto the ground and caught fire before the flames spread rapidly to tankers and other parts of the facility,” the source said.

The depot is a key node for fuel transportation and distribution across the province, raising concerns about potential short-term disruptions.

Iraqi Arabic-language media, including Alsumaria and Rudaw’s Arabic service, confirmed the scale of the blaze in Tanjaro.

An Alsumaria security source stated that “a large fire broke out at a fuel warehouse in the Tanjaro area of Sulaimaniyah” and that firefighting teams were actively working to extinguish it.

Videos circulating on social media showed massive flames and secondary explosions lighting up the night sky.

Deputy Governor of Sulaimaniyah Shaho Osman later announced that the fire had been brought under control.

Civil defence teams from Sulaimaniyah led the response, with counterparts in Erbil placed on standby if additional support was needed.

Authorities have not yet released a final damage assessment, and the precise cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Market officials sought to reassure the public about fuel supplies.

Ramyar Rizgar, spokesperson for the Sulaimaniyah fuel market, and warehouse owner Sheikh Abdullah told Rudaw they did not expect the incident to drive up petrol prices in the region.