Location Halabja, Iraq
Disaster Wildfires, 2025
Bilal Mukhtar is a teacher living in Halabja, in the Hawraman region of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region. Wildfires are breaking out here with increasing frequency, caused by natural events and compounded by hotter and drier weather. Iraq is experiencing its worst drought in nearly a century. Climate change makes drought and wildfire in Iraq more likely.
The 17th of August. That was the day the fire started. Ari worked in a kebab shop. After he came back from work, he had a shower. He lives with Mum and Dad and another sister, she’s still at home. He took a shower and he took his bag and he went to the gym because he was a very sporty person. Before he started to workout, he got a phone call from friends saying there’s a fire that’s breaking out and can you come. So he went.
