The director of the Syrian Civil Defense Directorate in Latakia, Abdul Kafi Kial, confirmed that firefighting teams, with great support and cooperation from the locals, managed to stop the spread of forest and woodland fires in the countryside of Latakia and Hama, preventing their advance on all fronts.

Kial explained in a statement to SANA’s correspondent that full control over all fires has not yet been achieved due to some hotspots and the possibility of re-ignition in several extinguished sites because of strong winds. He noted that new fires broke out today in the woodlands around the town of Marmarita in the Homs countryside, and firefighting teams present there immediately moved to deal with the fires, with additional support from Homs city firefighting teams.

Kial clarified that civil defense firefighting teams, provincial firefighting battalions, and forest firefighting teams continue extinguishing several burning hotspots and cooling operations, with teams remaining at extinguished sites to ensure no re-ignition due to strong winds.

He pointed out that the fire spread was stopped in the forests of Kasab, Al-Shajra, and near Eagle Hill, while some hotspots remain burning in Wadi Al-Naba’in, where teams extended firefighting hoses over 1200 meters to deal with the fires concentrated in a deep valley.

Kial added that in Bab Janna and Deir Mama areas in Salnfa, the fires were contained and teams are currently conducting cooling and monitoring operations. In Brouma in Jabal Al-Akrad, fire spread was stopped and extinguished, with ongoing cooling and monitoring.

Regarding the western Hama countryside fires, Kial indicated that some hotspots remain burning in the Shatha area, concentrated on high mountain peaks, with teams working to isolate and monitor any spread. Fire spread in Naour Jorin was stopped, with ongoing monitoring and cooling, while fires extended in Al-Muzhal town towards Al-Qashati. Teams, with locals’ cooperation, controlled the fire spread on the Beit Yashout road and are now monitoring to prevent re-ignition due to strong winds.

The Civil Defense director in Latakia stated that fire spread damaged some civilian homes in Shatha and the villages of Anab, Abu Klayfon, and Mardash in Hama countryside after the fires reached them. He explained that teams face difficulties due to strong winds that increased fire spread, high temperatures, rugged terrain preventing firefighting vehicles from reaching hotspots, lack of firebreaks allowing vehicle access, and the presence of mines and war remnants in most affected areas, posing significant threats to firefighting teams’ safety.

More than 70 teams participate in extinguishing operations, including 50 firefighting teams, 20 forest firefighting teams, engineering teams equipped with firefighting vehicles and water tanks, and heavy machinery to open roads and firebreaks facilitating firefighting teams’ access and stopping fire advance. Reinforcements arrived from Homs, Aleppo, Idlib, Damascus, Rif Dimashq, and Daraa firefighting teams.