A massive fire broke out in the forests of Kassab in Latakia province on Thursday, October 31.

The Syrian Civil Defense (in areas controlled by the regime) reported that the situation of the fires in Kassab is very dire, with the burning areas consisting of mountains and forests surrounding the Chalma mountains.

They explained that the fires are spreading eastward towards the Turkish border due to the high winds, and that bulldozers and firefighting equipment cannot open paths due to the extreme terrain and steep curves in the area.

Meanwhile, firefighting teams are attempting to contain the fire and searching for partial solutions with the available resources.

While the fires in Kassab have been ongoing since the evening hours, the Civil Defense announced the control of a fire in the Jableh area.

A video recording was published showing the advance of the flames in mountainous forest areas as darkness fell.

The local Al-Wahda newspaper reported that the fire is spreading towards the village of Badrousiah, which is about five kilometers from its location in the village of al-Mashrafah-Kassab.

The head of the Forest Protection Center, Tarek Hatab, also mentioned that a fire spanning three dunams occurred in the village of Safra-Badrousiah, which has been brought under control.

The Latakia governorate announced the mobilization of the resources of the institutions and governmental agencies that possess engineering equipment and tanks to support the firefighting teams in controlling the fire, which is difficult to manage due to the strengthening winds and the challenging terrain.

Additionally, several houses in the village of Badrousiah have been evacuated as the flames advance.

No clarifications or statements have been issued by the Forestry and Fire Monitoring Platform (FIRMO) up to the preparation of this report.

More areas

Over the past few days, various regions in Syria have experienced fires affecting agricultural and forested areas. Last Tuesday, fires broke out in the village of Marmarita in western Homs, destroying ten hectares, 90% of which were olive groves and 10% were forest trees.

Last Sunday, a fire ignited in the village of Bahour and spread to the villages of Ain al-Ghara, Balat, and Maizena in western Homs.

The official Syrian news agency (SANA) reported the next day that the firefighting teams in Homs managed to extinguish large areas in the direction of the villages of Bahour and Ain al-Fawar, while efforts are underway to address the fire spots in other areas.

Syria has witnessed waves of fires in several provinces over the past three years, including Latakia, Tartus, Homs, and Hama, with the fires of 2020 being the largest in Syria’s history, as confirmed by the Ministry of Agriculture.