A large fire in the Catholic cemetery of Qamishli
Qamishli- North-Press Agency
Reem Chamoun
A large fire broke out in the Armenian Catholic cemetery on Wednesday evening, in the neighborhood of Al-Siyahi in the city of Qamishli, northeastern Syria.
Dozens of pilgrims were present in the cemetery at the moment of the incident, on the occasion of “Feast of the Assumption of Virgin Mary”, which was celebrated by all churches on Wednesday in the city of Qamishli.
Father Hovsip Pedoyan, the priest of the Armenian Catholic parish has explained to North-Press that during the prayers in the cemetery, some incense and candles were lit by some women who were attending the ceremony (as it’s a traditional practice by women when visiting the graveyards), where a candle fell and the fire spread quickly.
Moreover, Father Pedoyan added that the presence of hay around the graves contributed to the quick spread of fire, in addition to hot winds and high temperatures which reached 48 degrees Celsius.
Father Pedoyan expressed his “Gratitude to God” because the damage was limited to materials, while no one was hurt, except for some cases of slight asphyxia, who were rescued to nearby hospitals.
Fire-fighting trucks, Security Forces (Asayish) and police forces (Hawari) along with some civilians in the cemetery helped extinguishing the fire.
While the high temperatures that the region is recently undergoing, have caused an explosion of a fuel tank in a restaurant in the city of Hasakah on Wednesday afternoon.