Syrian wildfires spread due to heavy winds and war remnants
The fires, which started last week, have proven difficult to bring under control despite reinforcements from Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon that came to the war-torn country to help Syrian teams fight the blaze.
Syrian Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management Raed al-Saleh said their main challenges are two locations in the coastal province of Latakia that they have been trying to control for two days.
'We have controlled other locations,' al-Saleh told The Associated Press at the scene.
On the second day of the fire, firefighters managed to get 90% of the wildfires under control but explosions of left-over war ordnance and heavy winds helped spread the fires again, al-Saleh said. He added that 120 teams are fighting the blazes.
On Monday, the Lebanese army said it sent two helicopters to help fight the fires in coordination with Syrian authorities.
Over the weekend, U.N. teams deployed to the Syrian coast where they are conducting urgent assessments to determine the scale of the damage and to identify the most immediate humanitarian needs.
Summer fires are common in the eastern Mediterranean region, where experts warn that climate change is intensifying conditions that then lead to blazes.
Also, below-average rainfall over the winter left Syrians struggling with water shortages this summer, as the springs and rivers that normally supply much of the population with drinking water have gone dry.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
11 hours ago
- The Guardian
Century-old dam under strain as floods increase in US and federal funds dry up
More than 18,000 properties that sit downstream of a series of a century-old Ohio dam are at risk of flooding over the next three decades, according to climate data, as the Trump administration continues to roll back investments that would aid in keeping the waters at bay. In a part of the US that's largely flat, the view from above the Huffman dam in south-west Ohio is rare. From the bike trail atop the dam, the shimmering lights of downtown Dayton appear to the south. Cargo planes from a nearby air force base circle overhead and water from the 66-mile-long Mad River gushes underfoot. But the dam serves a far more pressing purpose: holding back up to 54bn gallons of water – enough to fill 82,000 Olympic-size swimming pools – during flooding events. Nearby, more than 21% of all properties downstream are at risk of flooding over the next three decades, according to First Street, a climate risk data modeling organization. That percentage accounts for 18,596 properties in Dayton. The five massive dry dams and 55 miles of levees west and north of Dayton were built in the aftermath of catastrophic destruction that befell the Ohio city in 1913, when 360 people died and flooding in three rivers that meet in the city center wiped out the downtown area. But today, it and many other communities around the midwest are once again at risk of flooding. 'Our system has experienced 2,170 storage events. The flood in April ranked 12th,' says MaryLynn Lodor, general manager of the Miami Conservancy District, the authority overseeing the regional flood prevention system that includes the Huffman Dam. The flooding early last April saw five to seven inches of rain inundate homes, roads and parks, and caused power outages for thousands of people across hundreds of miles. Extreme precipitation events are happening with increasing regularity at a time when, across a region that's home to the country's two major, high-discharge waterways – the Ohio and Mississippi rivers – decades-old flood prevention infrastructure is falling apart. From Indiana, where authorities in charge of a dam at a youth camp that sees 15,000 visitors annually warned of failure during last April's flooding, to Illinois and Minnesota, reports are appearing with increasing regularity of '100-year' floods threatening the integrity of, and in some cases destroying, dams. Five years ago, the Edenville Dam in central Michigan failed following days of heavy rain, prompting the evacuation of 10,000 people and the failure of another dam downstream. The dam is situated at the confluence of two rivers, and in 2018 its owner temporarily had its license taken away due to fears it couldn't pass enough water at high flood levels. Lawsuits and an expense report of $250m followed the dam failure. Data from Michigan's department of environment, Great Lakes and energy, found that of the state's recorded 2,552 dams, nearly 18% were rated as in 'fair', 'poor' or 'unsatisfactory' condition. Despite this, little change has been enacted in Michigan. 'The reason this is popping up everywhere in the country is because it's a massive ageing infrastructure problem,' says Bryan Burroughs, a member of a now-closed state taskforce that sought to investigate the status of dams across Michigan following the Edenville incident. He says the taskforce's recommendations have largely not been enacted. 'To date, the only ones that have been taken up and addressed to any level are the ones that our state department of environment, Great Lakes and energy are able to oversee themselves. Regulatory changes have not been picked up legislatively,' Burroughs continued. Through the Inflation Reduction Act, the Biden administration had made investing in America's ageing infrastructure over the course of many years a priority, with $10bn dedicated to flooding mitigation and drought relief. An additional $3bn was allocated in 2021 through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for dam safety, removal and related upgrades. Since Donald Trump entered the White House in January, the administration has vowed to roll back much of those investments. Hundreds of dam safety and other staffers working at dams in 17 western states have been laid off in recent months. Before the 4 July flood disaster in Texas, the Trump administration had pledged to close the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema). With more than 92,000 dams across the country, the Society of Civil Engineers estimates the cost of repairing the country's non-federal dams at $165bn. In Ohio, the Miami Conservancy District has been outspoken in highlighting that the dams it is responsible for are in need of repair – in particular, the upstream walls of two north of the city of Dayton. Levees it manages 'are subject to the costly, federally mandated Fema accreditation process, but there is no adequate funding source.' Last year, the district said it needs $140m to bring the region's dams and levees up to safe levels over the coming decades. Over the past 80 years, the organization has seen a 228% increase in the volume of water its dams store, meaning the structures today must work harder than they did in the past to hold back the water. 'As we're looking at having to make reinvestments, we are looking to try to secure some funding through the state and federal governments,' says Lodor. 'We have not gotten much support and federal dollars or state money to be able to do the system. It's already been invested in by the local communities; it would be very difficult for this to be on the backs of the locals.' Many dams hold back water that's used by fishers and recreators – an issue that's creating tension in many communities. In White Cloud, Michigan, authorities have had to draw down much of the lake water behind a 150-year-old dam due to fears for its structural integrity, angering locals. As in Texas, dozens of youth groups and Christian camps across the midwest use lakes and waterways downstream of ageing lowhead and other dams for programming and outdoor activities. Emails and messages left by the Guardian with the owners of an at-risk dam at a camp in Indiana used by thousands of children every year received no response. While compared with other parts of the US the midwest does not have a lot of dams whose main purpose is for flood control due to geological and topographical reasons, Ohio and much of the wider midwest have seen 'record-setting rain' this year. 'The weather has changed,' says Burroughs. 'What used to be a one-in-100-year flood event might have happened three times in the last 40 years.'
The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
Climate change could spell the end for beaches at European hot-spot
& Suman Naishadham Coastal erosion is severely impacting Montgat, a town north of Barcelona, threatening its beaches and summer tourism. The erosion is primarily caused by climate change, leading to more intense storms and significant sea level rise. Man-made beaches, developed for tourism after the 1992 Olympics, are eroding at an accelerated rate compared to natural coastlines. Authorities recognise that simply replenishing sand is insufficient, advocating for structural solutions like breakwaters to prevent further loss. Scientists report that sea levels along the Catalan coast are four times higher than three decades ago, with an estimated 60 million euros needed to stabilise the metropolitan coastline.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Greece closes the Acropolis as 44C heatwave grips Athens and Malaga is hit by wildfires while tornado rips through airport in storm-hit France as Europe battles extreme weather
Southern Europe is being scorched by an unrelenting heatwave that has forced Greece to close ancient landmarks and triggered fierce wildfires across Italy, Spain and the Balkans. Meanwhile, northern parts of the continent are battling a different kind of extreme weather as deadly storms, tornadoes and giant hail batter France and Germany. In Athens, temperatures have soared to 44C in what has already become the third heatwave of the summer, prompting the closure of the iconic Acropolis and strict new rules to protect workers from the blistering heat. Across the Balkans, firefighters are struggling to contain multiple blazes that threaten homes, nature reserves and tourist regions, with emergency services complaining of stretched resources and outdated equipment. Spain and Italy are also in the grip of fast-spreading fires that have devoured tens of thousands of hectares of parched land, with Sicily and Malaga among the hardest hit. The EU's fire monitoring system warns that the risk of yet more devastating blazes remains high as forecasters predict drier-than-average conditions for much of the continent through August. But while southern Europe burns, parts of France and Germany have been lashed by violent storms that ripped roofs from homes and toppled trees. A tornado tore through an airport in central France, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake, as hailstones the size of golf balls hammered southern Germany. These extreme weather events come after 2024 was officially declared the hottest year ever recorded, with temperatures exceeding 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. Pigeons shelter from the sun and heat under a bench along a promenade during a heatwave in Sliema, Malta July 22, 2025 Greece, one of the most popular summer holiday destinations for Brits, is sweltering under yet another heatwave after months of searing heat. The continent's southernmost nation has always had hot and dry summers, but is suffering increasingly devastating wildfires and scorching temperatures. National weather service EMY has said the heatwave that began on Monday is not expected to ease before Sunday, with temperatures in Athens reaching 44 degrees Celsius today and expected to increase during the week. Authorities announced that the Acropolis, Greece's most visited ancient site, would be closed for five hours from midday on Tuesday and Wednesday. Couriers, food delivery riders and builders in the wider area of Athens and other regions were among those ordered to pause work from midday until 5pm. Workers with underlying health issues were advised to work remotely to avoid heat stress. In the Balkans, firefighters are battling forest blazes across North Macedonia and Albania. Seven major fires were reported in North Macedonia, where temperatures of up to 42 degrees Celsius were recorded Tuesday. Five fires were out of control in Albania where temperatures ranged from 37C to 41C on Monday. In Croatia, a fire near the tourist town of Sibenik was being fought by dozens of civil emergency experts and six specialist planes. Some of the fires in North Macedonia have been burning for several days, notably one in the Ezerani natural park close to lake Prespa, and the country's mayors have complained they do not have enough resources to battle the fires. According to the mayors' association, the 400 firefighters in North Macedonia are half the number that the law lays down as the minimum. Their vehicles are on average 27 years old. Serbia was on a heat alert with highs around 38C on Monday, but temperatures were expected to start falling. The country is already suffering from one of its worst droughts in living memory. Northern Bosnia was also braced for temperatures of up to 40C. Bulgarian authorities on Tuesday urged businesses to give away water and cut physical labour during high-risk hours. Spain is struggling to quell a series of wildfires that have already burned through more than 70,000 hectares of land in recent weeks. Firefighters managed to extinguish or control several blazes over the weekend, but arid conditions sparked two fresh fires near the tourist hotspot of Malaga. One punishing fire was recorded threatening the main entrance of the Andalucia Technology Park (PTA) in Campanillas, near Malaga city. Another was spotted near in Casares, near the Ignacio Molina wind farm. In both cases, firefighters and water-dropping helicopters were dispatched to calm the flames. The Italian island of Sicily is also battling several wildfires, with soaring temperatures leading authorities to issue red alert warnings for four provinces this week. Sicily's Forestry Corps and Civil Protection workers were engaged to extinguish the fires, with six water-dropping aircraft drafted in to control the flames. Three of the blazes are located in the northwest in the countryside between the cities of Palermo and Trapani, with two more reported along the south coast and another in the suburbs of the eastern city of Catania. Horrifying images snapped overnight into Monday by residents in Trapani showed thick orange flames scything through bone-dry hills on the outskirts of the city. Yesterday, meteorologists placed the eastern provinces of Catania, Caltanissetta, Enna and Messina under red alert warnings, with emergency services preparing for the prospect of yet more infernos. Wildfires have burned more than 227,000 hectares of land in Europe since the beginning of the year, according to the EU's European Forest Fire Information System - far above the average figure for the first six months of the year. It's not yet clear if 2025 will be a record year, as that will depend on how the fire season evolves in the coming months, but the number of fires in Europe has also surged this year so far, with 1,118 blazes detected as of July 8, versus 716 in the same period last year, EFFIS said. Countries are preparing for worse blazes. Warmer-than-average temperatures are forecast across Europe in August, EFFIS said, meaning fire danger will remain high across much of southern and eastern Europe. While Southern Europe is expected to see normal rainfall patterns, the rest of the continent is expected to be drier than normal in August, EFFIS said - potentially exacerbating fire risk in other regions. Across the globe, 2024 was the warmest year on record, with temperatures exceeding 1.5 Celsius above the pre-industrial era for the first time. Research published last week showed that the soil surface temperature around Athens rose in some places by as much as 10 degrees Celsius since July 2024 after fires destroyed vegetation. Firefighting efforts continue from the air for the forest fire which broke out at Mediterranean scrubs between Partinico and Alcamo, western of Sicily, Italy on July 20, 2025 While Italy, Spain, Greece and the Balkans battle wildfires and scorching heat, residents in France and Germany are facing a very different problem. Brutal storms engulfed much of eastern France over the weekend with one person killed and six more injured amid the violent weather events. The roofs of several houses were torn off in the department of Saone-et-Loire, north of Lyon, such was the intensity of the winds and the lightning storms. One person attempting to make repairs to his roof was killed when he was blown off a ladder, while in nearby Jura, almost 5,000 people were left without power. Another person was seriously injured in Devrouze when he too was blown off a roof, and five more people were hurt in the Alpine department of Savoie when a tree was felled and landed on a car. Then on Monday, Tours Airport in Indre-et-Loire was battered by a tornado. Shocking footage snapped by airport workers showed the tornado ripping past the concourse. It went on to cause significant property damage in the neighbouring town of Rochecorbon. Meanwhile, the German Weather Service (DWD) yesterday issued a string of weather alerts for much of the north and southeast of the country, warning of heavy rainfall and the prospect of flash floods Videos and images shared to social media late Sunday also showed huge hailstones that were raining down across parts of the country. Southern Germany experienced golf ball-sized hail, with chunks of ice up to 5cm in size raining down through thick fog. A mixture of level two warnings for 'significant weather' and level three warnings for 'severe weather' were issued for Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony-Anhalt and Saxony. A level three warning was issued for Berlin.
