Wildfires rage for the seventh day in Latakia. Daramsuq sends back firefighters and equipment provided by Autonomous Administration

LATAKIA, Syria – For the seventh consecutive day, firefighters continue to struggle to bring under control, the devastating wildfires that have already consumed approximately 14,000 hectares of forests and farmland in Latakia. The blazes mark one of the region’s worst environmental disasters in recent years. The challenging operation involves 16 firefighting aircraft from Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon, alongside specialized ground teams working in difficult terrain and unfavorable weather conditions. 

UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric confirmed the organization’s readiness to support humanitarian efforts, with assessment teams already on-site evaluating the disaster’s scope and immediate needs. 

Also, in a show of cross-regional solidarity, the Democratic Autonomous Administration of the region of North and East Syria (DAARNES) deployed a 150-person firefighting unit equipped with:18 fire trucks, 2 fully staffed ambulances, 2 fuel tankers, 2 bulldozers, as well as various support vehicles and engineering equipment. The reinforcements, drawn from the Euphrates, Gozarto (Jazira), Tabqa and Raqqa regions, include personnel specially trained in countering large-scale wildfires.

The Syrian government, which is holding high level talks with a DAARNES delegation in Daramsuq, thanked the DAARNES Municipalities Union for the reinforcements, but said the fires were under control and hence the extra help is not needed. The DAARNES then convoy returned to North and East Syria.