The Syrian Minister for Emergency and Disaster Management, Raed Salah, appealed to the European Union on Tuesday for assistance in battling the forest fires that have been raging for six consecutive days in the western part of the country, which have reportedly consumed about one hundred square kilometers of forest, according to initial estimates from the United Nations.
The official Syrian news agency, SANA, quoted Salah stating, “We have requested help from the European Union to extinguish the fires” in the Latakia countryside, noting that firefighting planes from Cyprus are expected to join efforts on Tuesday to combat the blaze.
In the wake of a heatwave affecting the region since early July 2025, extensive fires have ravaged forests and wooded areas in both Turkey and Syria, causing significant economic and human losses. There are warnings of worsening disaster conditions and challenges in firefighting efforts within Syria due to the presence of landmines from past conflicts, difficult terrain, and limited resources and capabilities.
Initial estimates indicate that the wildfires in Latakia “have impacted around five thousand people, including displaced individuals, across more than 60 residential areas,” as stated by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Syria.
The United Nations further reported that the fires “have reduced approximately 100 square kilometers of forest and agricultural land to ashes, equating to more than three percent of Syria’s total forest cover.”
At least seven towns in the Latakia countryside have been evacuated as a precautionary measure.
The chain of fires that ignited in the northern countryside of Latakia has spread to populated areas, prompting authorities to evacuate certain towns and villages adjacent to the burning regions. Fortunately, there have been no recorded civilian or firefighting casualties.
State television reported Minister Salah stating that “strong winds caused the fires to expand last night into the village of Al-Ghasaniyah in Latakia,” explaining that civil defense teams successfully evacuated women and children, and doused the flames with help from local youths.
Salah noted that Turkish and Jordanian teams are joining the firefighting efforts alongside aerial support from Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, with expectations that the number of participating aircraft could reach twenty.
He highlighted that “weather conditions significantly contribute to the spread of the fires, along with the lack of firebreaks in the mountains, the neglect of forest maintenance, the presence of many dry logs, and explosions from remnants of war.”
The Interior Minister, Anas Khattab, stated during a tour of one of the fire sites in Latakia that there are “suspicions” about certain individuals’ involvement in the fires, adding that this would require “evidence and documentation.”
The minister indicated that an “investigation process” would begin to determine if the fires were intentionally set and to identify those responsible.
As global droughts and forest fires escalate due to climate change driven by human activities, Syria has faced extreme heat waves, a sharp decline in rainfall, and recurring forest fires in recent years.