Fire in Chtoura on June 18, 2025. (Credit: Courtesy of Sarah Abdallah)
BEIRUT — A large fire broke out on Wednesday in Chtoura, in the Bekaa's Zahle district, and destroyed an agricultural area where wheat was being cultivated. A number of trees were also burned in the fire, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent in eastern Lebanon.
The fire broke out near Kassatly Chtoura, a beverage company located behind the Taanayel Monastery. Four Civil Defense vehicles are now at the scene of the fire and are working to extinguish it, the correspondent adds.
Peak fire season in Lebanon typically starts around mid-June and can last well into the fall. Lebanon experienced substantially less rainfall this last winter, raising concerns of an especially volatile summer season, which in recent years has been marked by an increasing number of uncontrollable fires.
In May, Lebanon signed an agreement with the United Nations to receive support in fighting forest fires and integrating sustainable forest management practices. The project is managed by the World Bank and funded by a $3.48 million grant from the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
Reporting contributed by Sarah Abdallah, L'Orient Today's correspondent in the Bekaa.