Syria shuts land crossing with Turkey after forest fires spread near border
The fires stared on July 2, amid one of the worst draughts in Syria in decades, and after a wave of sectarian killing s on the coast, the heartland of the Syria's minority Alawite sect.
The crossing in a wooded area between the Syrian area of Kassab and the Turkish governorate of Hatay has been closed for safety reasons, the authorities announced on Saturday. Turkey is Syria's economic lifeline, supplying the country with a large chunk of its fuel and basic food needs.
Ismail Al Abdullah, a spokesman for the Syrian Civil Defence, told The National from the Kassab area that most of the coastal fires have been extinguished with help of crews from Turkey, Jordan and Iraq, but that two spots remain active.
These comprise the Zahia and Attera areas of the Turkmen Mountain. Attera is about four kilometres south from the border with Turkey.
'The crews worked overnight, and the efforts are continuing so the fires will not extend to the Turkish side,' Mr Al Abdullah said.
However, the situation remains 'highly tense', another Civil Defence official told The National.
Four other crossing with Turkey remain open. The Kassab crossing, however, is the closest route between the coast and Turkey, particularly Hatay and Iskandaroun provinces, where many Turkish nationals of Syrian origins live.
The fires began earlier this month in the Turkmen Mountain of Latakia governorate. Soon after areas in the nearby governorates of Baniyas and Tartous were ablaze, as well as Hama in the interior.
The coast where most of the fires have occurred contains the majority of Syria's green cover, about 4,000 square kilometres, or 2 per cent of Syria's land mass, according to data recorded in 2010 before the civil war broke out.
Decades of illegal logging and unlicensed building and farming, particularly during the 13-year conflict, have compromised the country's forests. The war ended in December, when an offensive, led by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, toppled 54 years of Al Assad family rule.
Officials attributed the rapid spread of the flames to high temperatures and strong winds and said there was no evidence of foul play.
In the late 2000s, Syria became a wheat importer due to lack of rain and the illegal use of water wells, which affected underground reservoirs.
Fire combating help has arrived also from the Syrian Democratic Forces, a mostly Kurdish militia in control of areas of eastern Syria. The SDF has been the main political rival of the current government.
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