A fire broke out in the pine forests on the outskirts of Ain Yaacoub town in Akkar, northern Lebanon, on Aug. 3, 2024. (Courtesy of Michel Hallak)
BEIRUT — A fire that broke out on Saturday in the pine forests on the outskirts of the village of Ain Yaacoub in Akkar, north Lebanon, was brought under control late in the afternoon, our correspondent in the region, Michel Hallak, reported.
Fire trucks belonging to several Civil Defense centers in the area rushed to the scene, and water tankers were sent from the municipality of Bzibina to provide support to the firefighting operations.
The Darb Akkar Association, which also responded to the fire, reported that strong winds exceeding 60 kilometers per hour were exacerbating the blaze.
By Saturday afternoon, the fire was spreading in all directions on the slopes of the area, where there are no roads that allow the firefighting equipment to reach the fire sites. The army responded to a request for rapid intervention with army helicopters, amid fear that the winds would take the fire towards nearby homes and new forest areas. According to our correspondent, a Lebanese Army patrol also arrived on the scene to contribute to watering down the area and to begin installing a special pond to supply the response with water.
An army helicopter helps tackle the blaze. (Courtesy of Michel Hallak)
According to our correspondent, rescuers managed to extinguish the fire late in the afternoon. Cooling operations are underway.
Numerous fires have occurred in northern Lebanon since the beginning of the summer. While the causes of many remain unknown, the combination of drought and high temperatures creates conditions that facilitate the rapid spread of fires.