Syrian crews and residents halt forest fires in Hama
Shafaq News – Hama
All fires that ravaged Syria’s Hama in recent days have been extinguished, the Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management Raed al-Saleh announced on Sunday.
Al-Saleh told reporters that firefighting and civil defense teams continue to keep the area under close monitoring to prevent flare-ups amid hot and dry weather conditions.
نُعلن اليوم الأحد 17 آب عن إخماد وتبريد كامل حرائق الغابات والأحراج في ريف حماة الغربي، مع إبقاء المنطقة تحت المراقبة الدقيقة لضمان عدم تجدد النيران.#وزارة_الطوارئ_وإدارة_الكوارث#الجمهورية_العربية_السورية pic.twitter.com/kAEyJrJIXK
— Raed Al Saleh ( رائد الصالح ) (@RaedAlSaleh3) August 17, 2025
Meanwhile, the Syrian Civil Defense said that intensive efforts by firefighting crews, backed by widespread assistance from residents, helped halt the spread of wildfires in the countryside of Latakia and Hama. It noted that while most of the fires had been extinguished, the presence of smoldering hotspots and strong winds made it too early to declare a complete end to the emergency.
The Civil Defense added that more than 70 teams took part in the operations, including 50 firefighting units and 20 forestry and engineering groups, supported with fire engines, water tankers, and heavy machinery to cut fire lines and open access roads. Reinforcements were also dispatched from the provinces of Homs, Aleppo, Idlib, Damascus, Damascus Countryside, and Daraa.
A Civil Defense member told Shafaq News that the rugged terrain had prevented fire engines from reaching certain hotspots, while the absence of adequate firebreaks allowed the flames to spread, creating risks for responders and causing several cases of suffocation.
