(MENAFN) Syrian firefighting and civil defense teams continue their battle against forest fires that erupted Friday in the Turkmen mountain region of Latakia province in northwest Syria.

The blaze started in the village of Bashoura and spread rapidly, fueled by strong winds, as stated by reports. Civil defense units under the Emergency and Disaster Management Ministry, along with personnel from the Agriculture Ministry, have been dispatched to contain the flames.

Mahmoud Al-Shariqi, commander of Latakia’s Civil Defense team, explained that efforts are complicated by rough terrain, swift winds, and unexploded ordnance left from past conflicts, requiring responders to exercise extreme caution.

“Teams are working at full capacity,” Al-Shariqi said, expressing optimism that progress will be made in the coming hours by extinguishing active fires, cooling hotspots, and preventing further spread.

Western Syria, particularly Latakia, has faced repeated forest and farmland fires this summer due to high temperatures, dry conditions, and dense woodlands. In July, wildfires in the Latakia mountains burned for 12 days, consuming more than 16,000 hectares (39,537 acres) of forest, including 2,200 hectares of farmland, and affecting 45 villages and approximately 1,200 families, according to reports.

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