The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

Wildfires in NW Syria | Regime police arrest several individuals for “involving in arsons in Latakia mountains”

Regime police arrested a group of people accused of “setting fires in Latakia and Tartus countryside”, and they were referred later to judicial authorities.

 

According to local sources, most of the blazes were set (intentional and unintentional) by human factors, including the burning of agricultural residues and making coal, as coal industry and logging are very gainful.

 

The region experience stiff competition between residents and armed groups which exploits their domination on coal industry and firewood traffic, with winter approaching and the prices of fuel increasing in regime-held areas.

 

According to Article no. 29b, a man caught deliberately setting fires in bushes or bush reserves to be sentenced to seven years in prison. The penalty is doubled if the arson resulted in permanent disabilities. If the arson kills someone, the perpetrators may be sentenced to death.

 

Similarly, Article no. 30 for 2018, issued by the “Syrian People’s Assembly” on the draft law considering bushes, stipulated for imprisonment for at least five years to everyone invests or cultivate state-owned burnt bushes, which violates the articles of this law.

 

SOHR sources reported earlier this morning a decline in reported fires in the provinces of Tartus and Homs after large areas were devoured in the past few days, in addition to the decline of fires in the areas of Jabal al-Qardaha after they devoured large spaces and caused human losses and material damage to civilian properties.

 

Fire crews continued to extinguish fire sites in Qastal Ma’af area in north Latakia countryside.

 

As more civilian died due to the ongoing fires in the Syrian coastline, the number of deaths has risen to four, while the number of injured cases has jumped to 80, all suffered from suffocation.