Latakia Fires Enter Fourth Day, Spread to Al-Ghab Plain

Coastal and western areas of Syria are witnessing a dangerous escalation in the spread of forest fires, which have been raging for the fourth consecutive day amid a severe heatwave and an increase in wind speed, leading to the expansion of the fires and threatening new areas of forests and mountains.

Firefighting and civil defense teams are making exceptional efforts with regional support to confront the disaster.

Meteorologist Mohammad Haydar confirmed that temperatures have exceeded 30 degrees Celsius on the coast, with strong winds and a noticeable decrease in humidity, creating an ideal environment for the rapid spread of fires.

He warned of the emergence of new hotspots in the coming hours, urging citizens to exercise caution, especially patients with respiratory problems.

Speaking at a press conference, Minister of Emergency and Disasters Raed Saleh explained that controlling the fires depends on the stability of wind speed, emphasizing that extinguishing the fires permanently requires days of careful monitoring.

In a dangerous field development, a massive fire broke out in the mountainous forest area west of the village of Foro in Al-Ghab Plain, where civil defense teams faced significant difficulties due to mines and war remnants scattered in the area, hindering the teams from reaching the fire focal point and allowing the fires to spread in dense forests.

However, after continuous efforts lasting about 10 hours, firefighting teams managed to control the massive fire in the vicinity of Foro and the mountains overlooking Al-Ghab Plain in the countryside of Hama.

Despite some mines exploding during the operation, the teams were able to contain the fires and prevent them from spreading to other areas, while continuing to cool hotspots and monitor the area to prevent re-ignition.

On another note, Latakia Governor Mohammed Othman affirmed that firefighting teams responded from the first moment and managed to achieve partial control despite the difficult terrain and fast winds.

He stressed the continuation of efforts with local and regional support to fully control the fires that reached the Farnalq forests in the Latakia countryside on Sunday evening, increasing the danger and expanding the fire area.

As part of regional support, ground Jordanian civil defense teams arrived in the Latakia countryside after helicopter contributions during the day to support Syrian firefighters in their battle against the raging fires, reflecting the concerted efforts to preserve vital forest areas on the Syrian coast.