Syrian authorities evacuate citizens amid major forest fires

Syrian rescuers evacuated residential areas in Latakia province because of major forest fires, authorities say.

Fires have spread across large parts of Syria, particularly on the coast, for several days, with firefighters struggling to control them due to strong winds and a drought.

Abdulkafi Kayyal, director of the Directorate of Disasters and Emergencies in Latakia province, told the state SANA news agency that fires in the Qastal Maaf area had moved close to several villages, prompting the evacuations.

Syria’s civil defense warns residents of “the spread of rising smoke emissions to the northern section of the coastal mountains, the city of Hama, its countryside, and southern Idlib areas.”

“Our teams recorded losses in the orchards due to the widespread spread of the forest fire in several areas of the Latakia countryside,” the civil defense adds, calling on citizens to report anyone they suspect of starting fires.

With man-made climate change increasing the likelihood and intensity of droughts and wildfires worldwide, Syria has been battered by heatwaves, low rainfall and major forest fires.