Latest news with #RaedalSaleh
Al Jazeera
5 days ago
- Climate
- Al Jazeera
Syria says wildfires in northwest Latakia province contained after 10 days
Wildfires in northwestern Syria, which have burned vast tracts of forest and farmland and forced evacuations, have been brought under control after 10 days. In a statement posted on Facebook on Sunday, the civil defence agency said, 'with the spread of the fires halted and the fire hotspots brought under control on all fronts', teams on the ground are working to cool down the affected areas while monitoring any signs of reignition. The blazes in the coastal province of Latakia broke out on July 3 amid an intense heatwave across the region, which also affected the Dortyol district and neighbouring Turkiye. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said it destroyed about 100 square kilometres (40 square miles) of forest and farmland. As the fires raged, Syrian emergency workers not only had to use outdated equipment but also contend with high temperatures, strong winds, rugged mountainous terrain and the danger of explosive war remnants. This all comes in a country worn down by years of conflict and economic crisis, nearly seven months after the ousting of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad and the installation of a transitional government led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, the leader of the now-disbanded armed group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. In a post on X, Raed al-Saleh, Syria's minister for emergencies and disaster management, said civil defence and firefighting teams 'managed to halt the spread of the fire on all fronts' with help from Turkish, Jordanian, Lebanese, Qatari and Iraqi teams. Turkiye earlier sent two firefighting aircraft to help battle the blazes. Eleven fire trucks and water support vehicles were also dispatched, according to al-Saleh. 'Firefighting teams are intensively working to extinguish remaining hotspots and cool the areas already put out. The situation is moving toward containment followed by comprehensive cooling operations,' said al-Saleh. 'There are still threats due to wind activity, but we are working to prevent any renewed fire expansion.' Authorities have not reported any casualties, but several towns in Latakia province were evacuated as a precaution. With human-induced climate change increasing the likelihood and intensity of droughts and wildfires worldwide, Syria has also been battered by heatwaves and low rainfall. In June, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization said Syria has 'not seen such bad climate conditions in 60 years'.
Al Arabiya
5 days ago
- Climate
- Al Arabiya
Syria says wildfires contained after 10 days
Syria's civil defense agency on Sunday said wildfires in the country's west, which have burned vast tracts of forest and farmland and forced evacuations, had been brought under control after 10 days. In a statement on Facebook, the agency said that 'with the spread of the fires halted and the fire hotspots brought under control on all fronts' on Saturday, teams on the ground were working to cool down the affected areas while monitoring any signs of reignition. The blazes in the coastal province of Latakia broke out amid an intense heatwave across the region. The UN humanitarian agency OCHA said they destroyed about 100 square kilometers (40 square miles) of forest and farmland. As the fires raged, Syrian emergency workers faced tough conditions including high temperatures, strong winds, rugged mountainous terrain and the danger of explosive war remnants. This all comes in a country worn down by years of conflict and economic crisis. In a post on X, the Syrian minister for emergencies and disaster management, Raed al-Saleh, said that with help from Turkish, Jordanian, Lebanese, Qatari and Iraqi teams, firefighters had 'managed to halt the spread of the fire on all fronts, which is the most important step toward containing the wildfires.' The 'situation is the best it has been in the past 10 days,' Saleh said late Saturday. 'There are still threats due to wind activity, but we are working to prevent any renewed expansion of the fires,' the minister added. The civil defense agency said rescue teams were carrying out 'operations to open pathways and firebreaks within the forests... in order to reduce the chances of fire spreading in case of reignition.' Authorities have not reported any casualties, but several towns in Latakia province have been evacuated as a precaution. Nearly seven months after the ousting of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, Syria is still reeling from more than a decade of civil war that ravaged the country's economy, infrastructure and public services. With man-made climate change increasing the likelihood and intensity of droughts and wildfires worldwide, Syria has also been battered by heatwaves and low rainfall. In June, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization told AFP that Syria had 'not seen such bad climate conditions in 60 years.'
Observer
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Observer
Syria seeks European help as forest wildfires rage
DAMASCUS: Syria's minister of emergencies and disaster management on Tuesday requested support from the European Union to battle wildfires that have swept through a vast stretch of forested land. The fires have been burning for six days, with Syrian emergency crews struggling to bring them under control amid strong winds and severe drought. Neighbouring countries Jordan, Lebanon and Türkiye have already dispatched firefighting teams to assist in the response. "We asked the European Union for help in extinguishing the fires," Minister Raed al Saleh said on X, adding Cyprus was expected to send aid on Tuesday. "Fear of the fires spreading due to strong winds last night prompted us to evacuate 25 families to ensure their safety without any human casualties," he added. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) office in Syria, the fires impacted "some 5,000 persons, including displacements, across 60 communities". An estimated 100 square kilometres (40 square miles) of forest and farmland — more than three per cent of Syria's forest cover — have burned, OCHA said. At least seven towns in Latakia province have been evacuated as a precaution. — AFP
Observer
06-07-2025
- Climate
- Observer
Syria fights fires for fourth day
DAMASCUS: Syrian authorities said some 100 square kilometres of forest had "turned to ash" in wildfires as firefighters from neighbouring Jordan arrived on Sunday to battle a fourth day of blazes in the province of Latakia. Syrian emergency workers have faced tough conditions including high temperatures, strong winds, rugged mountainous terrain in the coastal province and the danger of explosive war remnants, in a country scarred by years of conflict. Jordanian civil defence teams crossed into Syria on Sunday morning, the Syrian ministry for emergency and disaster management said, as state media published footage of the convoy. Minister Raed al Saleh said on X that "hundreds of thousands of forest trees over an estimated area of around 10,000 hectares in 28 locations have turned to ash". The United Nations deputy envoy to Syria Najat Rochdi said in a statement on Sunday on X that Damascus "needs more international assistance" to face the fires. A statement from the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator for Syria Adam Abdelmoula said that "UN teams are on the ground conducting urgent assessments to determine the scale of the disaster and to identify the most immediate humanitarian needs". — AFP
