Latakia: Some of Syria’s worst wildfires in years have been brought under control as of Sunday, according to the Civil Defence and the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management, following days of gruelling firefighting in the forested countryside of the coastal Latakia province.
The blazes, which started 10 days ago and swept through the heavily wooded area of several mountain ranges, were fanned by strong winds, scorching summer heat and unexploded ordnance left behind from the country’s 13-year civil war.
Firefighters faced hazardous conditions with support from aerial teams and engineering units working to open firebreaks in the dense terrain.
In a statement, the Civil Defence said the spread of the fire was halted on Sunday morning, following “extensive efforts by firefighting teams and both helicopter and glider aircraft”. Crews remain on the ground conducting cooling operations and monitoring the area to prevent new flare-ups, it added.
More than 15,000 hectares of forest were burned, according to Abed al-Kafi Kayal, a civil defence team leader. “There are no injuries among residents,” he told The Associated Press. “Some firefighters were hurt, mostly from slipping, road conditions or the intensity of the flames.”
Firefighting helicopters swept low over ridgelines on Saturday, dumping water onto hotspots as ground crews worked below to contain flare-ups. Among the pilots were defectors who had left the Syrian Air Force in 2012 during the uprising against President Bashar Assad.