Iraqi Interior Minister Qassem al-Araji announced on Monday that the fire that ripped through a Baghdad warehouse where ballot boxes from last month’s parliamentary elections were stored was “deliberate.” "There is no doubt that it was a deliberate act and I am personally following up on the investigation with the criminal police and the committee tasked with probing the fire," Araji said. The fire ripped through the warehouse Sunday ahead of a vote recount prompted by allegations of fraud during the election that saw a surprise victory for Sadrist movement leader Moqtada al-Sadr. Firefighters brought the blaze under control several hours after it broke out in a warehouse located in Al-Russafa, one of the largest voting districts in eastern Baghdad. Around 60 percent of the two million voters in Baghdad cast their ballots in the May 12 election in that district. The extent of the damage caused to ballot boxes was still unclear but some officials have suggested that most of them had been spared. "Election material, including maybe ballot boxes, were burned but most of the ballot boxes were stored in another building and have been preserved," interior ministry spokesman General Saad Maan told reporters on Sunday. The elections were won by Sadrs electoral alliance with communists, as long-time political figures were pushed out by Iraqi voters hoping for change in a country mired in conflict and corruption. But the result was contested following allegations of fraud namely by the veteran politicians led by parliamentary Speaker Salim al-Jabouri. Meanwhile, Sadr urged Iraqis on Monday to unite rather than squabble over a possible rerun of the election, a message apparently tailored to defuse political tension after Sunday’s fire. Certain parties are trying to drag Iraq into civil war, Sadr said, adding that he would not participate in one. “Stop fighting for seats, posts, gains, influence, power, and rulership,” Sadr wrote in an article published by his office. “Is it not time to stand as one for building and reconstruction, instead of burning ballot boxes or repeating elections just for one seat or two?” The election, which was the first since the defeat of ISIS terrorists who seized a third of Iraq in 2014, raised hopes that Iraqis could put aside sectarian divisions to rebuild. One of Sadr’s top aides said on Sunday the fire was intended either to force a rerun of the election or to conceal fraud. But a repeat of the election is unlikely, analysts say, as none of the top parties have endorsed this step, and many incumbent lawmakers have lost their seats and thus lack legitimacy in the eyes of the public.