It was meant to be the happiest night of their lives. Instead, it became one of Iraq’s darkest.

When 18-year-old Haneen and her groom Revan, 27, began their wedding celebration in Qaraqosh, laughter filled the hall. Nine hundred guests gathered under glittering lights. But within seconds — as fireworks sparked for their first dance — the ceiling caught fire. What followed was unimaginable.

“The flames devoured the whole hall,” one guest recalled. “We couldn’t see anything. We were suffocating.” By the time the smoke cleared, 107 people were gone — including the bride’s three brothers, her uncles, and the groom’s mother. Revan remembered dragging his injured wife to safety as people trampled over one another, panic echoing through the burning hall. “Inside,” he said softly, “we are dead. We are numb.”

Officials later revealed the venue was built with flammable materials and had no emergency exits. Fourteen people were arrested — including the owner and fireworks crew.

Now, the young couple plan to leave their hometown, unable to bear the memories. “Every time we find happiness,” Revan said, “tragedy destroys it.”

A love meant to begin that night instead became a symbol of how fragile joy can be — and how one spark can change everything forever.