A fire in Aydamoun, Akkar, on June 7, 2024. (Photo courtesy of Michel Hallak)
AKKAR — A fire broke out in the bush on the eastern edge of Aydamoun, in the Akkar region of northern Lebanon, and quickly spread to the village's olive groves. Some residents living on the outskirts of the town have been evacuated from their homes. By early evening, the fire was brought under control.
The source of the fire is not certain but due to drought and high temperatures, wildfires are a nearly daily experience in the summer in Lebanon.
The flames spread to oak forests, orchards and agricultural fields, and threatened several houses, electricity poles and cables. Civil defense rescue workers and local residents worked through the afternoon to extinguish the fires.
Aerial photographs show the extent of the damage from a bushfire that burnt more than 650,000 square meters of olives and oak tree groves in Aydamoun on June 7, 2024. (Photo courtesy of Michel Hallak)
Based on aerial photographs taken by the Darb Akkar Association, an environmental organization in the region, it is estimated that about 261,000 square meters (26.15 hectares) of olive and oak trees and grasslands were destroyed in the fire.
According to our correspondent in the region, firefighters had difficulty bringing the blaze under control. Akkar's rugged terrain sometimes makes it difficult for fire-fighting vehicles to reach burning areas.
Reporting contributed by Michel Hallak.