Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
Hama, SANA-The Syrian Arab Army helicopters took part in extinguishing the fire that broke out in the woods located between the villages of al-Helouna and al-Laqba in Masyaf area in the western countryside of Hama province to support the firefighting teams and the locals to control the fire.
SANA reporter in Hama said that two helicopters had taken off from Hama airport that transported water from the Sourani Dam in Tartous countryside and carried out several sorties and threw large quantities of water on the burning lines and extinguished them, which contributed to limiting the expansion of fires in high mountainous areas that are difficult for firefighting teams to deal with as a result Rugged cliffs.
A number of locals told SANA that strong winds and dense dry grasses contribute to fueling the fire and the difficulty of extinguishing it, pointing out that the fires that erupted a week ago in several areas in the western countryside of Hama have so far devoured hundreds of acres of oak and pine and perennial cypress forests and fruit trees, especially olives.
Meanwhile, Fire brigade members in Tartous, in cooperation with the members of Agriculture Directorate extinguished seven fires that erupted today in separate regions in the governorate.
Earlier, the firefighting teams and the civil defense, supported by the personnel of the Syrian Arab Army, have been able to extinguish a fire that erupted in the vicinity of Ain Halaqim, south of Massyaf in Hama countryside and to prevent it from reaching the homes in the towns.
SANA reporter said that the fire which has erupted in the surroundings of Ain Halaqim town, south of Massyaf, has been put out after exerting exceptional efforts by the firefighting teams and the civil defense, supported by the Syrian Arab Army personnel, to extinguish the fire and to prevent it from reaching the homes in the town.
The reporter added that the locals and the police officers in Ain Halaqim town are dealing with some of the small renewable fire spots and they are working on extinguishing them.
English bulletin
