Soaring temperatures caused a fire to erupt in an arms depot at a major military base north of Baghdad on Sunday, the Iraqi defence ministry said.

“A fire broke out in a warehouse at Camp Taji due to high temperatures,” defence ministry spokesman Yehia Rasool said, adding that the depot contained “ammunition belonging to the 9th armoured division”.

The government security media cell said “an explosion erupted inside Camp Taji and some ammunition detonated due to the heat”. Firefighters are battling the fire, it said.

Camp Taji is a major Iraq military base that previously hosted troops from a US-led anti-jihadist coalition, before they vacated it, along with other bases.

The development came at time when tensions are rife in the region.

Explosions at military bases and munitions warehouses are relatively frequent in Iraq.

Safety standards in Iraq are often disregarded, and fires increase during the blistering summer months, when temperatures approach 50C.

Saudi Arabia and the US carried out strikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq last week.