A fire in Akkar on Sept. 15, 2023. (Credit: Michel Hallak/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — More than a dozen people fled their houses in rural Akkar while several others were suffering burns and breathing difficulties after a large wildfire broke out on Friday, L'Orient Today's correspondent saw at the scene.
By late afternoon, Civil Defense teams, aided by local residents and a Lebanese Army helicopter, successfully brought the fire under control. The flames destroyed olive, pine, and oak trees, and entire agricultural fields. According to a preliminary estimate by the Akkar Trail (Darb Akkar) environmental organization, 25 hectares were affected by the fire.
The fire reportedly started on the outskirts of the town of Qabaait and rapidly expanded to the town of Hrar, due to dry wind.
The smoke appeared thick by Friday afternoon, with the blaze approaching several houses and the main road of Hrar.
Civil Defense and Red Cross personnel also started evacuating other residents from houses close to the fire, with medical workers transporting eight people to local hospitals after they inhaled the smoke or suffered burns.
Seven Civil Defense fire trucks were fighting the blaze Friday afternoon with help from a military helicopter.
Despite that, a source in Akkar's Civil Defense branch told to L'Orient Today that the road leading to Hrar was still open. He added that the fire was large but "under control."
Akkar MP Walid al-Baarini later posted on X (formerly Twitter) urging the army, Civil Defense and civil society organizations to put out the dangerous blaze, which has reportedly damaged some properties.
The fire season started early this summer, due to drought and high temperatures. Recent weeks have seen near-daily wildfires in Lebanon, particularly in the densely forested Akkar governorate where rough terrain means firefighting vehicles cannot always access fire sites.
Reporting contributed by Michel Hallak
