Syria’s minister for emergencies and disaster management on Tuesday requested support from the European Union to battle wildfires that have swept through forest in the coastal province of Latakia for six days.
Neighbouring countries Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey have dispatched firefighting teams and equipment including aircraft to assist as Syrian emergency crews have struggled to bring the blazes under control in difficult conditions including strong winds, mountainous terrain and drought.
“We asked the European Union for help in extinguishing the fires,” minister Raed al-Saleh said on X, noting Cyprus was expected to send aid later Tuesday.
“Fear of the fires spreading due to strong winds last night prompted us to evacuate 25 families to ensure their safety without any human casualties,” he added.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) office in Syria, the fires impacted “some 5,000 persons, including displacements, across 60 communities”.
An estimated 100 square kilometres (40 square miles) of forest and farmland — more than three percent of Syria’s forest cover — have burned, OCHA told AFP in a statement.
At least seven towns in Latakia province have been evacuated as a precaution.
Efforts to extinguish the fires have been hindered by “rugged terrain, the absence of firebreaks, strong winds and the presence of mines and unexploded ordnance”, Saleh said.
During a visit to the area, Interior Minister Anas Khattab noted there were “suspicions about the involvement of some individuals” in the blazes, saying investigations would begin to determine if any were deliberately lit and hold any arsonists to account.
Seven months after the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, Syria continues to face the repercussions of its 14-year civil war, which include explosive remnants scattered across the country.
With man-made climate change increasing the likelihood and intensity of droughts and wildfires worldwide, Syria has also been battered by heatwaves and low rainfall.
In June, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation said Syria had “not seen such bad climate conditions in 60 years”.
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© Agence France-Presse
