Massive wildfires have torn through Syria’s coastal mountain region of Jabal Turkman since Thursday, destroying thousands of hectares of forest and overwhelming emergency services.
Abdel Kafi Kayyal, director of civil defense in Lattakia province, said efforts to control the fires have been hampered by strong winds, rugged terrain and the danger of landmines left behind from years of war.
The fires come as Syria’s new government tries to drive the country’s recovery after more than a decade of war and crippling sanctions, with basic services non-existent in many parts of the country.
The fires have burned along a line of 20-kilometers (12 miles), cutting off roads and forcing thousands to flee their homes. They have also left some areas without power.
Drone video showed fires advancing along a broad front in rugged territory, occasionally flaring up as they encounter tinder-dry woodland.
“This fire is extremely difficult,” Kayyal told CNN on Saturday, adding that reinforcements have been called in from across the country.
The fires have now spread into parts of Tartous province, despite the efforts of more than 60 firefighting units.
Syrian authorities have appealed for international assistance. Turkey has sent two helicopters and 11 firefighting vehicles, and on Sunday Jordanian civil defense teams crossed the border to join efforts to contain the fires.
Satellite data from NASA’s FIRMS service indicates the burned area now exceeds 180 square kilometers, an area larger than the capital, Damascus.
According to Syrian government figures from 2023, the country’s forest cover stands at around 5,270 square kilometers, suggesting that these fires have consumed more than 3% of the country’s total forested land in just three days.
The country is also in the grip of a long-running drought. The Carnegie Endowment Middle East program reported last year that the entire Euphrates Basin region, particularly the southern and eastern desert areas of Syria, had suffered from low rainfall and exceptionally high temperatures for four years.
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