For the second consecutive day, fires continue to blaze in the forests between the towns of Baasour and Dbayeh in the Chouf region, despite the substantial efforts made by civil defense teams and two military helicopters throughout yesterday and into the evening. Although large areas of the fire were extinguished, the difficult terrain and lack of roads leading to the fire sites hindered full control over the flames, exacerbated by increasing wind speed that contributed to the fire's spread. The fire persists in valleys that are hard to reach, despite the complete mobilization of civil defense teams who are present on the ground to carry out their missions.
This morning, Environment Minister Nasser Yassine, who has been closely monitoring most of the fires in the area, stated that he would communicate with the army command and request a helicopter to assist in extinguishing the fires in the Chouf region, praising the efforts of civil defense personnel, youth, and the army in combating the fire and addressing remaining hotspots.
In turn, MP Bilal Abdullah mentioned that he had made a series of calls and kept track of the firefighting operations and the efforts made by various residents and municipalities with their available resources to control the fire and protect the area's environment.
Meanwhile, the regional director of civil defense in Southern Mount Lebanon, Hosam Dahrouj, who has been near the fire sites in Dbayeh since early morning, stated he is in contact with the civil defense general directorate, seeking assistance from other centers to control the fire, which now threatens the area and its residents. Dahrouj pointed out that the fires in the valleys of Baasour and Dbayeh can only be reached and extinguished via military helicopters. He also appreciated the initiative of the Lebanese University in Dbayeh, which provided water through filling an artificial pond on the university campus to supply the army helicopter with water to extinguish the fires in the area, indicating that "the resources of the civil defense, given the magnitude of the fires and the difficult economic conditions, are unable to fulfill all required tasks."
At this time, the residents of Dbayeh and Baasour thanked their fellow citizen, Brigadier General Imad Bak Kakaour, for his intensive communication with the army command and the coordination that helped send two helicopters yesterday, which contributed to extinguishing fires in the area of Heliyouna in Dbayeh. They also expressed gratitude to the army and civil defense personnel, as well as all the youth and anyone who contributes to firefighting efforts in the area to protect our environment and nature from destruction and ruin.
