The young man, Baraa Al-Aloush (26 years old), did not wait for the fire trucks to arrive in his village in the Latakia countryside on the Syrian coast. When he saw smoke rising from the nearby mountain, he climbed, accompanied by a number of people from the area, towards the source of the fire, carrying whatever tools and water he had available, in an attempt to contribute to extinguishing the fire and limit its reach to residential areas and the surrounding forests.
Baraa was not wearing a protective suit, nor did he have specialized equipment to extinguish the fire, but he was aware that the fire was approaching the place where he lived, and that standing far away and watching it was not an option for him. About this, he told DW Arabia: "When I saw the fire burning in the forest near my house, I did not hesitate for a moment to try to extinguish it, in order to preserve the forest, which is considered a natural treasure. The youth of the region also moved alongside the fire brigades in small groups, and we divided the roles among us, who monitored the direction of the fire, who secured the water, who communicated with the fire brigades, and who helped the families near the danger areas."
Baraa explains that what drives people to take risks is their feeling that they are defending a legacy that cannot be easily replaced.
Initiatives that go beyond individual effort
The initiative of the young man Baraa Al-Alloush was not an isolated case. In the waves of fires that occurred in the Syrian coastal areas, the residents of the villages surrounding the forests turned into a field support line for the fire brigades. Organized group initiatives were also launched, as the SARD organization contributed to the rehabilitation of seven water sources, in addition to adding extensions and pumps that help reach water faster, thus enhancing the ability of the response teams to secure their water needs in areas exposed to fires.
Taher Rayan, head of the organization’s Disaster Risk Reduction Department, says: “Rehabilitating manholes provides closer and more ready water sources, supports the great efforts made by civil defense in responding to fires, and also helps teams access and supply water more efficiently and quickly when needed.”
Taher Rayyan confirms that two of the prepared manholes were actually used when fires broke out in Baloran and Ain al-Bayda this summer, as the Civil Defense was able to contain the fires within a short time and prevent their expansion.
How did civil defense teams respond?
Many factors make forests more flammable, and help fires move quickly from one area to another.
According to the head of the fire department at the Civil Defense Department, Abdul Hafeez Talib, the causes of forest fires are due to a combination of natural and human factors. Natural factors include extreme heat waves, drought, and winds, while human factors include unsafe behaviors, such as burning grass and smoking near fields and forests, in addition to organized encroachments on forest cover, which increase the chances of fires breaking out and expanding their area.
Taleb points out that fire indicators for this year do not show a significant increase compared to last year, but there is a discrepancy between regions, as some coastal and central governorates witnessed repeated fires as a result of climatic conditions, in addition to the explosion of mines and remnants of war.
He points out that daily follow-up and official data indicate that most of the fires have been controlled, which has limited the expansion of their area, with a rapid initial response to them.
But this response is not without major challenges, as Taleb explains that the difficulty of the mountainous terrain, and the lack of machinery and equipment specialized in mountain fires, are all factors that hinder operations to control the fires. Civil defense teams also faced great pressure in distributing resources among several burning sites at the same time, which necessitated requesting support from other governorates.
Environmental disaster
Fire losses do not stop at the trees that turn to ash. The fire that consumes the forest leaves deeper effects that extend to the soil, water, and biodiversity, and its repercussions may continue for many years. This is confirmed by Dr. Muwaffaq Al-Sheikh Ali, Natural Resources Management Consultant and General Director of the Land Company for Advanced Resources Development in Syria, to DW Arabia: “The fires caused a disaster that affected more than 45 thousand hectares in different governorates, explaining that the largest part of the affected areas is located in Latakia Governorate, given that it is It includes the largest area of forests in Syria.
Sheikh Ali explains that the damage is not limited to one type of vegetation, but rather includes the burning of large numbers and large areas of natural and planted forest trees, in addition to fruit trees, such as olives and citrus. The effects of fires also extend to the local communities surrounding the forests, which lose agricultural land and resources. He explained that forests were an important economic resource for the population, whether through beekeeping or collecting some medicinal and aromatic plants and other products provided by the forest environment.
Sheikh Ali points out that the historical relationship between the local community and forests was, until recently, a conciliatory relationship based on mutual benefit, but the entry of rotten cycles of corruption and conflicts of interest led to changing this relationship, and made some forests vulnerable to unregulated exploitation, including deliberate cutting, burning, and expropriation through construction or conversion of forest lands into agricultural lands.
