Earlier this morning, Tuesday, a gas bottle caught fire in a house in Sulaiman's Tasluja neighborhood. Sulaimani Health Department Spokesperson Saman Latif told Kurdsat English, "the bottle was a small gas cylinder type and caught fire due to leakage." 

Small gas cylinders are often used in the Kurdistan region for cooking, as they are cheap and handy since high energy prices have left many unable to afford safer energy sources.

He said the incident occurred while the family was preparing breakfast when the bottle caught fire. The man, aged 70, and woman, aged 63, were partially burned, with rooms in their house destroyed.

According to Latif, the 70-year-old man suffered a 12 percent burn, while the 63-year-old woman suffered a 43 percent burn. The woman is currently being treated at the Sulaimani Emergency Hospital.

Gas-caused incidents are common in the Kurdistan region, as it lacks a united national gas system to warm its households. Many people resort to individual gas cylinders or systems installed in homes without proper safety measures.

Last month two explosions caused by gas cylinders in Sulaimani and Duhok claimed 21 lives and left tens of injuries, leading the government to ban their use and audit already installed gas cylinders in homes and offices.