The Syrian Cabinet discussed the fires that recently broke out in several Syrian provinces, reviewed the extent of damages to public and private property, and the mechanism for compensating the victims.

The Ministry of Information in the Syrian regime announced on Thursday, October 7, details of the Cabinet meeting, which included discussions on a plan for early warning of forest fires and necessary measures to prevent future outbreaks, in collaboration and coordination between ministries and provinces.

The meeting also addressed the formation of working groups to assess the damages caused by the fires, with plans to study possible interventions and compensation for the victims once the damage assessment is completed.

According to the ministry, the participants discussed the importance of coordination among the concerned authorities to enhance response measures and support intervention plans during any emergency.

The newly appointed Prime Minister, Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali, urged ministries and relevant agencies to work on joint coordination with governors to follow up on the implementation of the “early warning for forest fires” plan in forests, wooded areas, and agricultural lands across the provinces.

He emphasized the need for measures to keep firefighting equipment, tankers, and necessary tools in a state of full readiness, as well as the importance of activating the role of the local community for direct intervention during any emergency.

Since the beginning of the year, a series of fires have erupted in the provinces of Homs and Latakia, lasting for several days.

The Ministry of Agriculture stated on November 3 that Latakia province experienced 50 fires within four days, most of which were agricultural fires, some of which got out of control, such as the al-Masharifa fire heading toward al-Badrusiya, the fire at Burj Kass and Burj Muairban, and the fire in al-Muzayri’ah.

Latakia Governor Khaled Abaza said in a statement to the local Sham FM radio that the initial fire in Latakia was due to electrical contact, but the fires at the beginning of November were “intentional,” as occurred in 2020.

The commander of the Homs Fire Brigade, Captain Iyad Mohammad, stated that the flames consumed large areas of agricultural land, the vast majority of which were planted with olive trees.

Syria has witnessed a wave of fires in several provinces over the past three years, including Latakia, Tartus, Homs, and Hama, with the 2020 fires being the largest in Syria’s history, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.

The fires have directly affected the residents of the villages in which they occurred, resulting in losses of greenhouses and lands planted with fruit trees, in addition to the destruction of citizens’ properties.

In October 2021, the Syrian Ministry of Justice announced the execution of 24 individuals accused of committing “terrorist acts” by starting fires.

It also announced the sentencing of 11 others to life imprisonment for the sabotage of public and private facilities.

These rulings were based on provisions of the general penal code, the criminal procedure law, and the Anti-Terrorism Law No. 19 of 2012, according to the ministry.