A massive fire has destroyed hundreds of kilometres of agricultural land and forests in the countryside of Al-Qardaha in the Latakia countryside which is a stronghold of the Assad regime. This has forced the population of more than five villages to flee to other areas that are safer.

While regime loyalists in Al-Qardaha have blamed armed fighters for starting the fire, others have accused coal producers and traders of firewood of being responsible for the fire. With the onset of winter, the demand for heating fuel has increased. Syrians have been relying on alternative energy resources as supplies of traditional ones have run short due to the lack of security during the last five years.

The residents of more than five villages belonging to Al-Qardaha in the Latakia countryside were left displaced yesterday after the fire broke out on Sunday evening. The fire lasted for about twenty hours during which it destroyed forests and woodland. According to residents of Al-Qardaha, the fire destroyed agricultural land and olive trees in several villages.