Fight against fires continues in Akkar

For 48 hours, firefighting operations have continued without interruption in various areas of Akkar, according to L'Orient-Le Jour's correspondent in the region. Flames are ravaging vast areas of forests in Qammoua, Kobayat and Bireh.

The fires have also affected olive groves, almond trees and vineyards on the outskirts of the villages of el-Barda and Nahriya, causing significant property damage after the fire approached many homes in these areas.

According to the Darb Akkar association, the five fires in the region were "all under control, at the moment."

On Wednesday, Aug. 14, a fire broke out in the village of Bireh, destroying large areas of olive trees. 

All the Civil Defense centers in the region were mobilized to bring it under control. Two Lebanese Army helicopters, which took off from Qleyaat airport, assisted Civil Defense teams, in addition to volunteer teams from Darb Akkar and first responders from the Union of Municipalities of Jurd al-Qaytaa, with field monitoring by the Akkar agriculture department and forest rangers.

Large fires recently broke out on the outskirts of Zouk al-Hosnieh, near homes, forcing residents to evacuate because of thick smoke and intense heat. They called for urgent intervention by the army to contain the fire and protect their property. In the city of Adbel, a fire broke out on the main Adbel–Nahr Nassar road.

Numerous fires have devastated Akkar since the beginning of summer. After the heatwave that has hit Lebanon since last weekend, with a particularly dry season following a winter with little rain, the Civil Defense issued guidelines to avoid forest fires.

On July 15, the Environment Ministry launched a $3.5 million risk management initiative aimed at reducing the risk of forest fires in vulnerable areas. In April, Greenpeace warned about fires in Lebanon even before the start of summer, a period usually prone to wildfires, calling them "an alarming sign of worsening effects of climate change in the region."

Akkar is not the only region affected by fires. In southern Lebanon, fires triggered by intense heat have occurred around the localities of Deir Qanoun al-Nahr and Maakrakeh (Sour).