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Wildfires have continued to devastate vast areas of Syria’s Latakia province for the fifth day in a row, scorching over 10,000 hectares of forests and farmland. Local authorities have described the situation as an “environmental catastrophe,” while the United Nations has called for increased international support to help contain the disaster.
Türkiye, which is currently facing its own severe wildfire crisis, has extended assistance to Syria. Turkish firefighting teams have joined the response efforts in rural Latakia in coordination with the Syrian Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management. The Turkish contingent includes two helicopters, eight fire trucks, and three water supply units.
Alongside these teams, 62 groups from the Syrian Civil Defense and Forestry Protection Brigades continue battling the fires that have been burning since July 3 in the regions of Qastal Ma’af, Zanzaf, and Rabeea in the Latakia countryside.
Meanwhile, Türkiye is grappling with extensive wildfires that have swept through several provinces since late June, including İzmir, Manisa, Bilecik, Sakarya, and Hatay. An intense heatwave combined with strong winds has pushed the fires into residential and agricultural areas, forcing mass evacuations described as the largest in recent years.
Syrian Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management Raed Al-Saleh met with Turkish officials in the border area of Yayladağ near Jabal al-Turkman to coordinate joint wildfire response efforts in Latakia. An agreement was reached to deploy two firefighting helicopters, with 11 vehicles (including eight fire trucks and three water supply units) joining the operation.
Al-Saleh noted that while the Turkish teams were originally scheduled to arrive the previous evening, sudden wildfires in Türkiye delayed their deployment until the following morning.
Since last Thursday, firefighting teams across the Syrian coast have been working relentlessly to contain the blazes. Over 80 teams and around 180 specialized units are engaged on the ground, coordinated through a joint operations center established by the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management. This coordinated effort involves multiple ministries, local organizations, Syrian army ground and air forces, and helicopters, as well as support from residents, volunteers, and civil society groups.
The northern Latakia countryside remains the hardest hit, with more than 10,000 hectares burned—marking the worst wildfire outbreak in the region’s recent history. Firefighters continue to face extreme challenges, including severe weather conditions, strong winds, difficult terrain, and the threat of landmines and remnants from past conflicts. Years of neglect and the absence of firebreaks have further complicated efforts to fully extinguish the fires.
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