Syria battles forest fires in Latakia countryside

By Mohammad Sio

ISTANBUL (AA) - Syria Civil Defense said Monday that firefighting crews were still working to contain large wildfires that broke out in the Latakia countryside in the country’s west.

The agency said in a statement that teams were battling a forest fire between the villages of al-Rihaniyah and al-Sukariyah in the Rabia area, northeast of Latakia. Crews were also responding to another major fire near the town of Salma.

It noted that operations were hampered by rugged terrain, lack of access roads, unstable weather conditions and explosions of ordnance left over from the country’s civil war.

The organization said the fires had been raging since early Sunday, spreading rapidly because of strong winds and thick vegetation.

Western Syria has seen repeated forest and agricultural fires this summer, particularly in Latakia province, where high temperatures, dry conditions and dense woodland have made blazes harder to control.

In July, wildfires in the mountains of Latakia lasted 12 days, destroying more than 16,000 hectares of woodland, including 2,200 hectares of farmland. Authorities said the damage affected 45 villages and about 1,200 families.