Forest fire rages amid munitions in Lebanon
Pastor Dale Morgan
Forest fire rages amid munitions in Lebanon*
BEIRUT, July 22 (AFP) Jul 22, 2008
Firemen battled a forest fire in Lebanon on Tuesday, amid exploding
cluster bombs and the danger of mines left over from the country's
1975-1990 civil war, a civil defence official told AFP.
Flames swept near the summer resort town of Aley, east of Beirut, after
breaking out overnight in the mountainous region of Bmikin, between Souk
el-Gharb and Aley.,
"Firefighters are having a hard time extinguishing the flames because
the region is full of Israeli cluster bombs and landmines left over from
the 1975-1990 civil war which are exploding and making the situation
worse," said the official who asked not to be named.
The region where the fire broke out used to be a front-line during the war.
Emergency crews and an army helicopter were fighting the fire. Flames
had destroyed several hectares (acres) of pines and oak trees by 4am
(0100 GMT) and by mid-morning had spread, the official said, suggesting
the fire might have been set deliberately.
"We have a witness who saw someone throw something out of a car near the
woods," he said, adding that no homes were in the area of the blaze.
Forest fires in 2007 devastated hundreds of hectares (acres) of woodland
in Lebanon.