Lattakia Fires expand: New outbreaks, fears of reaching the Farnaq Reserve

Firefighting teams on the Syrian coast are working to contain the raging forest fires in the Lattakia countryside, amid fears that the fires could spread to the Farnaq Reserve, which includes large areas of adjacent forests. This comes at a time when Syria is facing an unprecedented surge in forest fires, coupled with rising temperatures and high wind speeds.

The Syrian Climate Change Program stated that "field and technical data indicate that more than 3,000 fires have broken out in recent months, burning more than 5,700 hectares of natural forests and agricultural land." It noted that "this disaster comes amid a climate characterized by high temperatures, increasing droughts, and strong winds, placing the Syrian environment in an unprecedented state of fragility."

The program called for "increasing the preparedness of the disaster management system by training personnel, updating equipment, and developing a national plan to combat forest fires," in addition to "strengthening monitoring and early warning systems through the use of specialized technologies and systems and activating local environmental monitoring units that continuously analyze seasonal risks."

The program also called for "involving the local community in prevention and response efforts through awareness campaigns and the formation of environmental volunteer teams in every town at risk," in addition to "declaring a state of environmental emergency in the affected areas, allocating exceptional resources to address the effects of the disaster, and supporting affected families and farmers."

ANHA