The Daily Star - Overnight fires scorch vast swathes of forest Rain provides respite from blazes which exposed shortfalls in civil defense equipment - October 30, 2010

By Carol Rizk and Mohammed Zaatari BEIRUT/SIDON: Massive fires raged in various Lebanese villages from Thursday night well into Friday, destroying hundreds of acres of forestland and threatening residential areas. 

The blazes caused serious damage and were finally put out by rain and cold weather. 

Sources at the Civil Defense directorate had no exact figures on the damage. The Central News Agency reported that 303 acres of forestlands and fruits fields were destroyed. 

The fires broke out in several Lebanese regions. The directorate issued a statement which said it undertook “a total of 200 firefighting missions,” in various regions Thursday. 

In Mount Lebanon, a fire erupted in the Aley towns of Baawerta and Daqoun with the flames reaching residential areas. Forestlands and a number of cars were destroyed. 

“Pine trees were mainly harmed, in addition to olive trees and vines,” a security source said, noting that pine nuts constituted an important source of income for village locals, with 1 kilogram selling for about $40.

Fires also broke out in the villages of Al-Misqeh, Joun, Mazboud, Kfar Matta, Baaseer, Ras al-Metn, Deir al-Harf as well as Qornayel. 

Civil Defense units, with the support of the Lebanese Army, worked on extinguishing the flames. Army helicopters worked for two days to put out fires in some remote locations.  

Difficult firefighting was helped Friday with the arrival of the rain meteorologists had forecast for the weekend. 

While the disasters were largely blamed on October’s hot weather and dry winds, negligence was also suspected. 

The security source estimated that most blazes were caused by negligent farmers and a Civil Defense source said, “It’s very unlikely that such a large number of fires be natural. It’s either arson or negligence.” 

The security source explained that a Lebanese farming tradition called on cultivators to clean their lands at this time of year. 

“They gather and burn any unwanted weeds, but sometimes leave the field before checking if the fires are completely put out,” the source said. 

“We don’t know how and when these fires started but the hot winds contributed greatly to their expansion,” the source added, describing the flames as spreading like “burning bombs.” 
Fires also broke out in north Lebanon, in the villages of Seikh Mohammad, Nafiseh, Mazraet Ruslani, Barghoun and Hrayqis. 

In south Lebanon, blazes erupted in the villages of Kfarshuba, Harouf, Kfar Tibnine, Wadi al-Hujeir, Qaaqaiyat al-Jisr, Tibnine, Teir Harfa, Marwahine, Dardghaya, Bafleh, Msaylih, Tfahatta, al-Ghassaniyeh and Anqoun. 

Firefighting units faced difficulties at a fire in Wadi Abra, east of Sidon, because of a shortage in equipment. 

No fire trucks were seen at the site of the fire, as Civil Defense members struggled to put out the flames. 

When The Daily Star asked a firefighter for the reason, he explained that the only fire truck in Sidon’s firefighting department was being used to combat blazes in the villages of Al-Jamilieh and Najarieh. 

Civil Defense members also spent the evening extinguishing fires in Zahrani, Iqlim al-Kharroub and Tilal Sayroub in Sidon. 

“There’s a lack of equipment,” Civil Defense volunteers said, adding trucks were unavailable for maintenance reasons. 

The Wadi Abra fire destroyed large swathes of forestlands and fruit fields. Furthermore, the heat and dry winds helped the flames spread toward the north and reach the village of Sharhabil. The fires were not fully extinguished until after midnight. 

The rain is expected to continue according to the meteorological department at the Rafik Hariri International Airport. 

The department forecast more rain for the weekend, which could possibly mean an end to the dry winds and recent high temperatures. 

It said the weather Saturday would be rainy and cloudy, with a chance of thunderstorms in the morning and a slight decrease in temperatures. The weather Sunday was predicted to be partially cloudy, with a chance of rain in the morning and a slight temperature increase. 

Temperatures over the weekend would vary between 18 degrees Celsius and 26 degrees Celsius along the coast, 10 degrees Celsius and 20 degrees Celsius in the mountains, 14 degrees Celsius and 22 degrees Celsius in the Bekaa, and 8 degrees Celsius and 12 degrees Celsius in the Cedars.