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Iraq sends firefighters and water tankers to battle Syria forest fires
Iraq sends firefighters and water tankers to battle Syria forest fires

The National

time2 days ago

  • Climate
  • The National

Iraq sends firefighters and water tankers to battle Syria forest fires

Iraq is sending firefighters, water tankers and other equipment to help battle forest blazes in coastal Syria, as a multinational effort to extinguish the flames enters a ninth day. Already crews from Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon are engaged in firefighting work across the governorate of Latakia, where the flames have forced villagers to evacuate their homes. A spokesman for Iraq's Civil Defence Directorate said on Thursday that the teams 'are currently in the preparation phase and they will head to Syria in the coming hours'. 'We are working on completing the logistical issues,' Iraq's state-run news agency reported him as saying. The fires had formed a 'towering, deep valley' in areas near the town of Qastal Maaf, said Raed Al Saleh, Syria's Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management. The location is considered one of the most rugged and difficult points for the firefighting crews to reach, he added. Mr Al Saleh thanked Iraq for sending ground firefighting teams, Syrian state news agency Sana reported. On Wednesday, he had said Syria also appealed to the EU for help. The wildfires have been rampaging across Latakia and Tartus governorates, including around the city of Baniyas in Tartus. Villagers have been evacuated from their homes in Latakia's Ras Al Basit district. Strong winds, rugged terrain and unexploded ordnance have been hindering firefighting efforts, authorities say. Syria's coastal region contains most of its green space, covering about 4,000 square kilometres − 2 per cent of the country's land mass − according to data recorded in 2010, shortly before the country's civil war broke out. But Syria's forests have been affected by decades of illegal logging along with unlicensed building and farming, particularly during the 13-year war. The country was once a regional breadbasket but is now undergoing one of its worst droughts in decades. In the late 2000s, Syria became a wheat importer due to a lack of rain and the illegal use of wells, which affected underground reservoirs.

Syria appeals to EU for help as wildfire spreads
Syria appeals to EU for help as wildfire spreads

The National

time4 days ago

  • Politics
  • The National

Syria appeals to EU for help as wildfire spreads

Syria has appealed to the European Union for help as wildfires continue to spread in the coastal countryside of Latakia, forcing the evacuation of people from their homes. Raed Al Saleh, Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management, said aircraft from Cyprus could be sent to support the operation to extinguish the fires, alongside crews from Turkey and Jordan already on the scene. Lebanon has also sent aircraft, he said. Sixteen planes are currently working to control the blazes, Mr Al Saleh added, with the number expected to reach 20. Twenty-five families have been evacuated from their homes in Al Ghassaniya village in the Ras Al Basit district of Latakia in the west of the country, the minister said. Strong winds, rugged terrain and unexploded ordnance littering the region were hindering firefighting efforts, Mr Al Saleh said, with an area covering about 14,000 hectares now in flames. In Ras Al Basit, the fires were continuing to spread, state news agency Sana reported late on Tuesday. Footage from White Helmets shows magnitude of Syria's raging wildfires Interior Ministry spokesman Noureddine Al Baba said people had been arrested on suspicion of involvement in starting the fires. He said the ministry was investigating the causes of the blaze to determine whether they were deliberately set. 'There are suspects, they have been arrested and are currently under investigation, and if their involvement is proven it will be announced,' he was quoted by Sana as saying. The fires have been rampaging across the Latakia, Baniyas and Tartus governorates. The coastal region contains most of Syria's green space, covering about 4,000 square kilometres, or 2 per cent of the nation's land mass, according to data recorded in 2010 before Syria's civil war broke out. Syria's forests have been compromised by decades of illegal logging along with unlicensed building and farming, particularly during the 13-year war. Syria, once a regional breadbasket, is undergoing one of its worst droughts in decades. In the late 2000s, the country became a wheat importer due to a lack of rain and the illegal use of water wells, which affected underground reservoirs.

Syrian wildfires spread due to heavy winds and war remnants
Syrian wildfires spread due to heavy winds and war remnants

Gulf Today

time4 days ago

  • Climate
  • Gulf Today

Syrian wildfires spread due to heavy winds and war remnants

Syrian firefighters are facing heavy winds, high temperatures and ordnance left behind from the 13-year civil war as they try to extinguish some of country's worst wildfires in years, a government minister said Monday. 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 media at the scene. Emergency responders with the Syrian Civil Defence work to extinguish a wildfire near the town of Rabia, in Syria's Latakia countryside, on Monday. AP 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, UN 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. A drone view shows a wildfire, in Latakia countryside, Syria, on Sunday. Reuters 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. Associated Press

Syria seeks EU help to battle massive wildfires
Syria seeks EU help to battle massive wildfires

Al Arabiya

time5 days ago

  • Politics
  • Al Arabiya

Syria seeks EU help to battle massive wildfires

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. Neighboring countries Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey 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 kilometers (40 square miles) of forest and farmland -- more than three percent of Syria's forest cover -- have burned, OCHA told AFP. At least seven towns in Latakia province have been evacuated as a precaution. Efforts to extinguish the fires have been hindered by 'rugged terrain, the absence of firebreaks, strong winds, and the presence of mines and unexploded ordnance', Saleh said. Seven months after the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, Syria continues to face the repercussions of its 14-year civil war, which include explosive remnants scattered across the country. 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 Organisation said Syria had 'not seen such bad climate conditions in 60 years.'

Syria seeks European help as forest wildfires rage
Syria seeks European help as forest wildfires rage

Arab News

time5 days ago

  • Politics
  • Arab News

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 Turkiye 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 kilometers (40 square miles) of forest and farmland — more than three percent of Syria's forest cover — have burned, OCHA told AFP. At least seven towns in Latakia province have been evacuated as a precaution. Efforts to extinguish the fires have been hindered by 'rugged terrain, the absence of firebreaks, strong winds, and the presence of mines and unexploded ordnance,' Saleh said. Seven months after the fall of longtime ruler Bashar Assad, Syria continues to face the repercussions of its 14-year civil war, which include explosive remnants scattered across the country. 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 said Syria had 'not seen such bad climate conditions in 60 years.'

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