“We were literally surrounded. For me, it’s unheard of”

“The fire came from two separate directions from the top of the hill above the village. Meanwhile, It was worn by strong winds”he recalls. Furthermore, “”We were literally surrounded. However, For me, it’s unheard of “. Nevertheless, As in the entire Mediterranean perimeter, the Syrian coast nevertheless experiences recurring fires. Meanwhile, Last year, 1,200 hectares had already been reduced to ashes. In addition, All around, the forest of oaks and pines surrounding his house is no longer. Furthermore, Only his house is intact.

2025. Similarly, an “anomaly” – "we literally surrounded. me, it's

The fires, which started in Syria a little over a week ago, are concentrated in the mountain hinterland of Lattaquié, on the Mediterranean coast, where the dense forests were weakened by months of heat and insufficient rains.

Agronomous engineer Georges Mallouhi. installed in the city near Tartouss, describes the drought that rages this year as “The worst since 1989”, When one of the first scorching peaks had been recorded. “Climate change is at work. It is undoubtedly. But 2025 is an anomaly, an extreme”.

This year. in fact, precipitation fell on average 50 % compared to previous years, according to statements from the Ministry of Agriculture throughout Syria, while temperatures have been able to reach 40 to “we literally surrounded. me, it’s 45 degrees Celsius in recent days.

In Lattaquié, where winter is usually marked by abundant rains until April, the drop reached 71 %. “In Al-Imane, this year, the source that feeds the village is dried up”adds Jaffar Hammoud. The town now depends on a water point located two kilometers in the mountains. “But the pipeline that connected to us was destroyed in the fire”.

Lack of maintenance – "we literally surrounded. me, it's

The magnitude taken by the fire is also the consequence of the fourteen years of civil war. which have dismantled the management services and destroys almost all the infrastructures of the country. Fire has already reduced some 17. 000 hectares of forests and agricultural land to ashes, according to Raed El Saleh, the Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management, almost the surface of the Brussels Region, also forcing nearly sixty rural communities to evacuate.

The huge “we literally surrounded. me, it’s coastal forest, which represents 37 % of the country’s total surfaces in the country, has not been maintained. Consequences: fire departures have multiplied and the intervention of firefighters is hampered. “No firewalls anymore. Nothing is accessible inside”describes the young man’s uncle, a farmer, from the partly calcined summit of the hill. Not to mention the mines that always pollute the soils, making the work of rescuers even more dangerous.

On the horizon, the ballet of helicopters and seaplanes sent by several countries, recently, of which Cyprus recently, is constantly. “Where goes from disaster in disaster”Magréé the man. Victim of the earthquake in 2023. this region where the Alaouites lived mostly suffered terrible pogroms last March during which 1500 civilians died, according to the Reuters news agency.

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The civil defense, the famous white helmets, which sought the survivors of the bombing of the regime of the former fallen president Bashar Al Assad against the rebel cities, managed to circumvent this first major home. “They did an extraordinary job, without common measure with that of the old regime. Teams came from all over Syria, including Idlib”recognizes the farmer. “They saved our houses. We owe them a proud candle! But for the forest. alas, they could not do anything for lack of maintenance all these years”adds another resident of Al-Imane.

"we literally surrounded. me. it's

Lost olive trees and animals

In Al-Imane, the inhabitants deplored only a few wounded intoxicated by the smoke such as several firefighters, “But we have lost a lot of olive trees and animals”specifies the uncle of Jaffar Hammoud. For the time being, no human loss has been identified.

The peasant says he is ready to lend a hand to the new authorities if they are putting in place. as Minister Raed El Saleh said on the spot, a management plan for forest resources. “This should no longer happen again: we need surveillance teams, water tanks …”he lists. The United Nations announced to release an emergency fund of $ 625,000 to help hundreds of people evacuated throughout the region.

The fires are now propagating in the border region with Turkey. where the Turkmen community lives, and in particular affect the forest of Frontloq, the last natural forest reserve of the country, which has only 3 % of wooded areas, compared to 30 % before the war.

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