Forest fires rage again in Lebanon
Pastor Dale Morgan
Forest fires rage again in Lebanon*
BEIRUT, Oct 24 (AFP) Oct 24, 2007
Fires raged across hectares of woodland in northern and southern Lebanon
on Wednesday, civil defence officials said, only weeks after an earlier
forest fire devastated parts of the country.
Emergency crews backed by Lebanese army helicopters struggled to
extinguish blazes which broke out on Tuesday in the mountainous northern
regions of Qobayat, Ayto and Karm Saddeh, an official told AFP.
There are no reports of any casualties, police and civil defence
authorities said.
"The fires have been raging in all three regions since yesterday," the
official added.
"Civil defence workers and army helicopters have been struggling to
extinguish them, especially the one in Ayto because there are no roads
leading to the area," he said.
Fires also spread across forests of pine and oak trees as well as
valleys and woods around Bisri, Sfaray and Mashmusheh in southern
Lebanon, another civil defence official added.
"The fires are still raging and we are trying to prevent them from
reaching houses," he said.
Defence officials said nearby Cyprus is due to send helicopters to help
the Lebanese firefighters battle the blazes.
Earlier this month, more than 2,500 hectares (6,200 acres) of woodland
were destroyed in fires that swept through several regions of Lebanon,
leaving one woman dead and dozens injured.