Massive forest fires are raging in the coastal regions of Syria. The Autonomous Administration has dispatched firefighting teams, tankers, and equipment to help contain the disaster.
In light of the devastating forest fires in the coastal regions, the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) provided help to contain the flames with its own emergency services. According to a statement by the Ecology Council of the Autonomous Administration, this is a “serious ecological disaster” that requires coordinated action.
On Wednesday, the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria sent a support convoy consisting of 18 fire trucks and water tankers with 150 firefighters to help fight fires that have been raging for seven days in Syria's coastal regions. The teams participated in firefighting and follow-up work to bring the fires under control and prevent them from spreading. The convoy has returned after the fire was brought under control.
A delegation affiliated with the Syrian Transitional Government welcomed the convoy in the Salamiya countryside of Hama and reported that the forest fire in the coastal region had been brought under control.
Speaking on behalf of the Transitional Government's Ministry of the Interior, the delegation thanked the convoy for its support.
According to the Syrian transitional government's disaster control agency, the fires, which have been raging for a week, mainly in the coastal province of Latakia, have destroyed over 14,000 hectares of forest so far. According to UN figures (OCHA), around 5,000 people have been affected and several villages have had to be evacuated. No fatalities have been reported so far. Firefighting efforts are being hampered by heat, strong winds, and mines left over from the civil war.
In a statement, the Ecology Council referred to the fires as a “war against the environment.” It said that the long-term consequences of military attacks, bombings, and the collapse of infrastructure in recent years had massively weakened the environment's ability to protect itself. The current situation once again shows how urgent regional and international cooperation is to protect natural resources, it added.
The council also called on the international community and environmental organizations to actively help contain the fires and to commit to the long-term preservation of Syria's forests. Yesterday, the Syrian transitional government asked the European Union for assistance in fighting the forest fires in the country. Some countries are supporting the local emergency services.
