Latakia - Sana
The efforts of community and civil activities constituted an important and influential factor in the process of extinguishing the fires that affected large areas of the countryside of Lattakia, in addition to the great efforts of firefighters, civil defense and elements of the Syrian Arab Army, which reaffirms the importance of cooperation and participation in all situations at the national level.
The Sana camera spotted part of the contribution of the people, along with the firefighters, in extinguishing the fires in the northern countryside, where Rafik Jeliku, a resident of the ant village, said that there are no words describing the sadness that descended upon us as we watched the ashes flying everywhere and the smell of fires that pervaded all areas, but the unity of the people And their concerted efforts to put out fires reflects the good spirit and the noble values that we were brought up on, and everyone should be one hand to help and continue life because the will to live is stronger.
“The flames that were stinging our faces and the smell of smoke that almost suffocated us is something that cannot be described.” Thus, Ali Daoud and Fadi Diop from the village of Al-Fajr expressed about facing the burning fires and narrated how they met with a group of young men when they saw the fire approaching them and how they worked to open lines A fire between the wooded forests and the village lands and cooling with water, while the old men took care of securing the exit of women, children and the elderly, in order to ensure their safety until the arrival of fire trucks and bulldozers that answered our call despite the tremendous pressure in a painful scene whose soul fails.
Munir Razzouq Mukhtar Karah Falah talked about the tremendous efforts of the people of the villages of Al-Fajr, Al-Adha, Al-Zaytouna, Qara Falah and the surrounding areas, who rushed without any hesitation or failure to help the firefighting crews and to stop the fires that were burning at a rapid pace coming from the Umm al-Tayyar area and began approaching the homes of the people by yesterday evening And made worse by changing wind direction.
Tariq Al-Hattab, head of the Forest Protection Center in Qastal Maaf, said: We were able to extinguish the fires that were spreading with insane speed and devouring forest forests on the road between the villages of Al-Fajr and Qarah Falah thanks to the efforts of workers, sharing tasks and helping the people.
Al-Hattab stressed the mobilization of all employees of the center and distributed them to the sites of the outbreak of fires to monitor them and report any developments after they were put out, indicating that "the situation is currently under control, but caution must be exercised and remain in a state of complete readiness for fear of strong winds blowing again."
Ali Darwish, a firefighter escort, confirmed that the eastern winds and their speed were the biggest obstacle in the face of everyone, and we did our best to surround the flames using machetes, combs and electric saws alongside the bulldozers to open fire lines and said, “The danger was surrounding us from all sides and the fire was burning on all sides, especially since we were on The front lines are in direct confrontation with the flames. ”
Nawar from the village of Qarah Falah, a firefighter in the Al-Haraj department, recalled the critical moments he spent with a group of his colleagues in a valley in the Umm al-Tayyar region after they were surrounded by fire and miraculously managed to escape after various injuries due to the fire and inhalation of dense smoke.
Mrs. Intisar Razzouq from the village of Al-Fajr refused to go out and chose to stay with a group of women to help the youth carry water, open fire lines, using the combs that were provided by forest workers, and extend water hoses to the outskirts of the village to cool them and prevent the fire from reaching the agricultural lands and homes, and she said, “It is a great honor for us. To stand by our men to protect our land and property.
Worker Hussein Sharaf al-Din from the Haraj district of Damascus countryside, who arrived in Lattakia with his colleagues since Friday evening to support the firefighting crews, expressed his deep sorrow for the pain in the Latakia forests, noting that the rugged roads, the density of trees and smoke, and the high flames in some areas increased the seriousness of the situation and limited Our capabilities to advance and address the fire, so we used to face it with water and open the lines of fire.
Rasha Raslan