In brief
Firefighting efforts are seriously hindered by remnants of war and treacherous terrain, as the nation copes with thousands of wildfires erupting since spring.
Wildfires have unfolded in Syria's coastal areas, marking a dramatic escalation in a series of over 3,500 incidents this spring. As the country faces its most severe drought in decades, the situation has become alarming. On Friday, the Syrian civil defense group, known as the White Helmets, reported that additional firefighting teams were deployed to combat blazes that erupted the previous day in the mountainous region of Latakia along the Mediterranean coast.Abdul Kafi Kayal, head of the White Helmets’ coastal division, noted that firefighting operations are being severely obstructed due to the challenging terrain and the presence of mines and unexploded ordnance from the civil war, which lasted 13 years. "Our hope is to see some degree of containment soon," Kayal said in a voice message, while acknowledging that aggressive winds have exacerbated the flames, causing them to extend to new areas.Raed al-Saleh, Syria's minister of emergency and disaster management, highlighted that the wildfire occurrences have drastically increased since early spring, with reports indicating over 3,500 fires spanning nearly every governorate in Syria between April and June. The ever-growing number of wildfires poses a dire threat to the already vulnerable and strained environment of Syria, raising urgent calls for assistance and better firefighting strategies.
