Syria: Wildfires ravage Latakia province for fourth consecutive day

Wildfires continued to leave a trail of destruction in Syria's Latakia province on Sunday, as firefighters from neighbouring Jordan arrived to help battle a fourth day of devastating fires in the war-ravaged country.

Aerial footage of seen by Middle East Eye showed vast swathes of forest and agricultural land engulfed in flames. Meanwhile, videos uploaded on social media captured huge plumes of smoke billowing into the sky as Syrians rushed to get to safety.

Syrian authorities said at least 10,000 hectares of forest and farmland had been destroyed, with hundreds of families forced to flee their homes.

"Hundreds of thousands of forest trees over an estimated area of around 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) in 28 locations have turned to ash," Raed al-Saleh, Syria's Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management, said in a statement.

Speaking at a press conference later on Sunday, he referred to the situation as "a real environmental disaster".

Emergency workers reported that they were struggling to contain the fires, citing difficult terrain and the risk of unexploded ordnances - a lethal legacy of Syria's recently ended civil war - as major obstacles.

Massive wildfires have ravaged Syria’s coastal #Latakia province since early July. As part of the ongoing response by firefighting teams from the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management, the ministry has deployed more than 160 fire engines and 12 heavy machinery units from… pic.twitter.com/QgxPYBBdx2

— The White Helmets (@SyriaCivilDef) July 6, 2025

The relentless fires, which have been centred around the mountainous district of Qastal Maaf, have been fuelled by soaring temperatures and fierce winds.

In June, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation told AFP that Syria had "not seen such bad climate conditions in 60 years".

In a statement posted on X, Najat Rochdi, the United Nations deputy envoy to Syria, pleaded with the international community for help, saying Damascus "needs more international assistance" to face the fires.

Meanwhile, Jordan's public security directorate said it had dispatched "specialised firefighting teams from the civil defence... [that] have been provided with all the modern equipment and machinery necessary to carry out their duties to the fullest extent."

The Syrian Civil Defence, also known as the White Helmets, warned that "smoke emissions are reaching the northern part of the coastal mountains, the city of Hama and its countryside, and areas south of Idlib."

Wildfires are a common summer threat across the eastern Mediterranean, but experts warn they are becoming more intense and frequent due to climate change.

Neighbouring Turkey has been battling wildfires since 26 June, which authorities said were caused by faulty power lines.

At least three people are known to have died in Turkey, whilst tens of thousands have been evacuated.