An Army helicopter putting out a fire in Akkar, North Lebanon, Aug. 23, 2023. (Courtesy of our correspondent Michel Hallak)
BEIRUT — A forest fire that broke out Tuesday in the locality of Khreibeh, Akkar, was extinguished Wednesday evening with assistance from Civil Defense and local volunteers, the Lebanese Army announced in a statement on social media.
The Akkar Trail (Darb Akkar) environmental organization told L'Orient Today that the blaze site was difficult for firefighters to access given the extremely rugged terrain.
A military helicopter belonging to the Lebanese Army arrived Wednesday morning to assist and, by the evening, managed to completely extinguish the flames.
The fire originally broke out in the forests of Khreibeh, above Mishmish village in Akkar, and spread to Wadi al-Kais field, where one of the most important cedar reserves is located, L'Orient Today’s correspondent in the north reported.
The flames spread into the cedar and juniper forests, reaching an altitude of 1,200 meters to 1,700 meters, according to Akkar Trail.
A military source explained to L'Orient Today that helicopters are the only means to access the fire site, as no roads are accessible to firefighting vehicles in the mountainous terrain.
Caretaker Environment Minister Nasser Yassin expressed "a thousand thanks to the army, the Civil Defense, the Akkar Trail team, the first responder team in Jourd al-Kaita, and to the municipalities" that contributed to the fire extinguishing efforts, in comments posted to a public firefighters' WhatsApp group.
Many wildfires occur each year in Lebanon, especially during the dry summer and autumn months. There have already been several such fires in the country this month, particularly in heavily forested Akkar.
Reporting contributed by Michel Hallak