The area where the fire occurred was captured by the Islamic State in 2014, and until it was liberated by US-backed Iraqi forces in 2016, there was heavy damage and massive relocation of its population.

[1] Iraq has a history of accidents which have been blamed on lax public safety regulations, such as a hospital fire in Baghdad in 2021 and the sinking of a ferry near Mosul in 2019.

[5] Video footage from inside the venue showed pyrotechnics shooting up from the floor and setting parts of the ceiling on fire while the bride and groom were slow-dancing.

[1] Management made the decision to cut the power, thinking the fire had been started by an electrical fault and immediately submerged the hall in darkness, making it harder for people to escape.

[12] Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani said that an investigative committee would be established and ordered all relevant authorities to intensify building inspections and verification of safety procedures.

[16][13] Due to the combustion of the composite panels, which contained plastic, the fire spread very quickly and released toxic gases.

[12] The Catholic archbishop of Erbil said that "words cannot describe the pain" that the community was going through, but added that the tragedy had brought together members of different religions in Iraq.