Video points to safety issues that led to deadly Iraq wedding blaze, expert says
Fire expert highlights safety issues that led to deadly Iraq wedding blaze, as government investigation angers often-neglected region of Ninevah LONDON -- An ecstatic couple slow danced surrounded by their loved ones in an opulently decorated wedding hall flanked by pyrotechnics. Within an hour, over 200 of their closest friends and family suffered severe burns and smoke inhalation. More than half did not survive. Videos verified by ABC News and reviewed by a fire investigator reveal the hazards that turned the venue, Al-Haitham Hall in Hamdaniya, Iraq, into what the investigator described as a "firetrap." The deadly fire in late September sparked a speedy government investigation that placed the blame on the venue's owners but has also revealed broader cleavages within Iraqi society. Pyrotechnics A screenshot from security footage of the deadly wedding fire on Sept. 26, in Hamdaniya, Iraq, shared by Iraq’s interior ministry. Interior Ministry of Iraq A report issued by...