Wildfires break out Syria due to rise in temperatures
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – Syria has been experiencing a rise in temperatures of up to 11 degrees higher than the average, which has contributed to the occurrence of a number of large fires in several areas in Latakia, Hama, and Homs governorates.
Temperatures have maintained a level higher than their averages by about 9 to 11 degrees Celsius in most regions as a result of the country being affected by the extension of a low-pressure system from the southeast, accompanied by a subtropical high-altitude extension in the upper atmosphere.
In Syria, the climate is Mediterranean on the coast, with mild, rainy winters and hot, sunny summers, while it is aridsubtropical in the vast inland areas, with moderately cold winters and scorching, sunny summers. Summer is sunny throughout the country, but the air is humid on the coast and dry in the rest of the country.
In spring, and less often in autumn, Syria can be affected by strong southern winds, which cause sandstorms and raise temperatures considerably.
The Syrian Government official news agency SANA declared that for the third day in a row, the firefighting and civil defense teams have been trying to control massive wildfires which erupted in Biret al-Jird area and Ein al-Baida roundabout in Massyaf countryside in extremely difficult conditions, due to the expansion of the fire and fluctuating winds as well as the high temperatures and rugged terrain.
Madyan al-Ali, Director of the Forest Protection Center in Hama Governate, said in a statement on Sunday that the fires are still burning in the northern and northwestern sides of the fire site, as the fire spots are concentrated in the forests above the village of al-Shumaiseh, and firefighters have been able to control the fires in the eastern and southern directions and to stop their spread.
Al-Ali added that the fluctuating winds as well as the rugged terrain in the area, especially in the areas over 1000 meters in elevation, limit the ability of the fire engines to enter these areas.
Colonel Thaer al-Hassan, Commander of the Hama Fire Brigade, said in a statement on Saturday that extinguishing fires is very difficult because the terrain in the area in which the fires have spread is rugged and inaccessible.
Ghaith al-Rashed, Head of the Agricultural Society in the village of Biret al-Jird, estimated the green spaces that were consumed by the fire at almost 500 acres.
On Saturday, Homs Fire Brigade staff were able to extinguish a fire that broke out in the woodlands of the town of Baiyoun in the western countryside of Homs.
Colonel Othman Juda, the commander of the Homs Fire Brigade, said on Saturday that the brigade’s operations room received a report on Friday about a fire in the town of Baiyoun on the Lebanese-Syrian border near the southern Lebanese river, and the brigade immediately rushed to the site of the fire and made several attempts to contain it.
Though the fires at the bottom of the valley were difficult to reach, they were able to extinguish them and they are currently carrying out cooling operations and monitoring to prevent the renewal of the fire.
On Friday, Homs firefighters put out several fires in Homs and its countryside, including those spread among oil residue and trees.
In addition to the high temperatures, the General Directorate of Meteorology predicted in its bulletin this morning that the weather will be clear or partly cloudy in general and dusty in the eastern regions.
Massive fires broke out in Latakia governorate in the areas of al-Basit, al-Badrousiya, and the village of Obeen, all of which are forested mountainous areas and are considered summer holiday areas.
In Hama, near Wadi al-Ayoun and Ain al-Krum, in addition to the countryside of Homs governorate, Syrian fire brigades managed to extinguish fires, but only after they had already devoured many forests.