Environment

Kurdistan24 Report: Wildfires Ravage Syria's Latakia

Syria's Latakia faces historic wildfires - 100km² burned, 5,000+ displaced. "Nothing left but ash" as flames destroy villages. Civil Defense battles fires amid landmines & drought. EU aid requested as crisis worsens.

The wiled Fire in Mount Al-Basit, Latakia. (Photo: SANA)
The wiled Fire in Mount Al-Basit, Latakia. (Photo: SANA)
Syria Latakia Syria's wildfires

By Ahora Qadi

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Enormous wildfires have swept through vast stretches of the Latakia countryside in northwestern Syria, destroying dozens of villages and forcing a mass displacement of families toward the provincial capital in search of safety. The scale of the catastrophe has shocked residents, many of whom say they have never witnessed fires of this magnitude in over a century.

"Nothing remained but ash"

According to a field report from a Kurdistan24 correspondent in Latakia, the fire originated near Mount Al-Basit and quickly advanced from the village of Kshish, spreading through pine forests and agricultural lands before engulfing populated areas.

“What happened is that the fire came from the west, from the direction of Al-Basit Mountain. It started in the pine forests, then entered the villages,” one local resident told Kurdistan24. “All around us were olive, pomegranate, and walnut trees. Nothing remained, praise be to God on everything. But we are fine, we thank God.”

Despite the absence of official casualty figures, the correspondent confirmed civilian injuries and extensive damage to homes and farmland. “We were all displaced from the village,” another resident said. “There’s no one left. For 100 years until now, we have not witnessed fires like these. We need everything—emergency aid, food, drink, and shelter.”

Civil Defense under pressure

For six consecutive days, Syrian Civil Defense teams have been working around the clock to contain the blaze. However, the effort has been hampered by high winds, rugged terrain, and limited resources. The Kurdistan24 correspondent reported that hundreds of families had already fled their homes, with emergency crews still battling active fires.

Government appeals for international help

Facing what it described as a national emergency, Syria’s Minister of Emergencies and Disaster Management, Raed al-Saleh, appealed to the European Union on Tuesday for assistance in controlling the blaze.

“We asked the European Union for help in extinguishing the fires,” Saleh said on X. He confirmed that Cyprus was expected to dispatch aid, while Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey had already sent firefighting teams.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that the wildfires had affected nearly 5,000 people across 60 communities, prompting evacuations in at least seven towns in Latakia province. According to OCHA, roughly 100 square kilometers—over 3 percent of Syria’s forest cover—had already been destroyed, threatening biodiversity and undermining rural livelihoods.

A crisis fueled by climate and conflict

Experts point to climate change as a key driver behind the surge in wildfire incidents. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recently warned that Syria is experiencing its harshest climate conditions in six decades, marked by extreme heatwaves and drought.

Compounding the crisis are remnants of war. Firefighting operations have been obstructed by the presence of landmines and unexploded ordnance—legacies of Syria’s 14-year conflict and the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad.

As civil defense teams persist in their efforts and international support begins to mobilize, the people of Latakia’s countryside face an uncertain future, their lives and lands at the mercy of a relentless blaze.

 
 
 
Ahora Qadi ,
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