Forest fire erupts in central Syria
Forest fire erupts in central Syria
3 August 2009
published by news.xinhuanet.com
Syria — A forest fire erupted Sunday afternoon in the forests of Abu Kbeis in Hama Governorate in central-western Syria and north of Damascus, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported.
Fire fighters, civil defense teams and helicopters are fighting for controlling and extinguishing the flames, the report said.
Commander of the Hama Fire Department Maj. Thaer al-Hasan said the fire was large and difficult to extinguish due to rough terrain in the fire area and hardness of enveloping the fire, despite the massive efforts made by rescue teams, SANA said.
It is still unknown what caused the fire and the amounts of trees it destroyed.
According to the report, fire fighters and fire trucks from several governorates are participating in extinguishing the forest fire, with some locations already under control as teams struggle to control the focal points of the fire.
