Al -Jazeera Net Correspondents
Damascus- For the third consecutive day, a wave of huge fires that hit several areas in the countryside is continuing LatakiaAmid fears of the exacerbation of the environmental and humanitarian catastrophe, after more than 5600 hectares of agricultural lands and forests, according to the Minister of Emergency and Disaster in Syria Raed Al -Saleh.
In an official statement, the minister explained that the spread of fire is due to the intensification of wind and high temperatures, adding that support teams from several governorates were sent to enhance the efforts of the civil defense.
He pointed out that the difficult nature of the terrain, the dimension of water sources, and the presence of mines and war remnants, greatly impedes the firefighting operations, especially in areas such as Qastal Ma’af and the vicinity of the town of Rabia, stressing that the firefighting teams face great field difficulties in reaching some foci of fire.
Wide alert
For his part, the Syrian Director of the Syrian Civil Defense of the Syrian Ministry of Disaster, Munir Mustafa, stated that 62 firefighting crews from various governorates, most of them from the forestry cover teams, have been mobilized since last Thursday evening, while Turkish firefighting teams joined to help using two helicopters and 11 firefighting mechanisms.
Mustafa added that the partial control was achieved – at the morning of Friday – at some points, but the speed of the wind and the high temperatures renewed the spread of fire.
He also warned that some of the affected areas contain explosive waste, which increases the risk of field tasks. He indicated that the losses were not limited to the forests, but also the crops and private property, at a time when the province takes off the evacuations, while the civil defense efforts are focused on combating fire and preventing its extension.
In a testimony from the field, Mohamed Bakri, a farmer from Latakia countryside, spoke about the speed of the spread of fire and its approach to his home within a few hours, and the burning of most of his satire, which includes olive, cherries and fig trees.
He pointed out that his preliminary extinguishing attempts were useless due to the wind force, before the arrival of the civil defense, pointing out that his losses equivalent to two seasons of agricultural work, which is the case of many of the villagers who lost the fatigue of their years in moments.
directions
With the expansion of the smoke emitted from the fire sites, the civil defense issued wide health warnings to the residents of the neighboring areas, specifically in the north of the Sahel and South Mountains. Idlib. He announced a series of procedures for protecting the student’s student, especially children, the elderly, and the respiratory patients, by following it, including:
- Not leaving homes.
- Close windows.
- Wear protective masks.
- Going to medical centers when feeling the narrowness of the soul.
- Not to ignite any fire in the forest or agricultural areas.
- Report any cases that may indicate intentional fires.
In the context of regional support, Turkish firefighting teams began actual participation in extinguishing efforts through two helicopters, 8 fire engines, and 3 water supplies, in direct coordination with the Syrian Ministry of Emergency.
This contribution comes amid the escalation of local and international appeals to provide urgent support, in light of the terrain of the mountainous region that hinders and limits its effectiveness.
Distress and warning
In this context, the director of the “Syrian Youth” team in the Syrian coast, Ibrahim Al -Zaidan, made a distress call to all organizations working in the humanitarian affairs, calling for the securing of the residents who were displaced from their homes towards unknown areas.
He explained that these fires are among the largest that Syria witnessed decades ago, based on the accounts of the people, and pointed out that there are civil efforts to support the civil defense teams and the Ministry of Interior in the firefighting operations, but he pointed out that the capabilities remain limited to the scale of the disaster.
Al -Zaidan conveyed the accusations of local residents of elements of the former regime of igniting forests and mountainous wars in a simultaneous time, with the aim of sabotaging the forests of the Syrian coast, using wind and high temperatures, after they failed to achieve any military gains, as he put it.
He said, “We carried out all the required tasks, and we transferred water tanks from multiple sources inside the city, including channels, stations and lakes, to secure the needs of firefighting teams at work sites.”
The field certificates show the complexity of the scene in the countryside of Latakia, in light of the continued spread of fire, the difficulty of controlling it, and the urgent need to intensify relief and fire extinguishing locally and internationally, especially with the continuation of winds and the presence of natural and human factors that fuel the disaster.
As for the media activist, Mohamed Adnan, he confirmed that the smoke that is escalating as a result of burning forests is showing heavy clouds in the governorates of Idlib and LattakiaTartousAnd there is fear of suffocation among children, especially those who suffer from respiratory and allergic diseases.
In his speech to Al -Jazeera Net, he pointed out that there are fears from the extension of the fires to the bears of the countryside of Tartous, the western Hama countryside and the western Idlib countryside, which include wide green areas.