DUBAI: Lack of fire prevention measures and the use of flammable building materials likely lead to the spread of the deadly blaze that ripped through a hospital in Baghdad, killing 82 people and injuring 110, a report by the Iraqi civil defense said.
The report states that there were no sprinklers or early warning systems in the building where COVID-19 patients were being treated.
The report added that flammable building materials had been used in the construction of the hospital.
“(The report) showed that there was failure to take the necessary precautions under the instructions of the civil defense” the spokesman for the Ministry of Interior Major General Khaled Al-Muhanna, told state news agency INA on Monday.
The civil defense report said the firefighting team arrived at the scene three-and-a-half minutes after the blaze broke out, and that the flames had already spread to most floors.
“The investigation is in its beginnings and the expert has not submitted his report to the forensic evidence yet, [but] it is unlikely that the accident was an arson… Most of the similar accidents were due to negligence or an electrical short,”
The high death toll was due to the failure of oxygen systems and smoke inhalation, the report added.
The fire is believed to have started after oxygen tanks exploded, CNN cited two health officials at the hospital.
