In the past two days, fires broke out in the governates of Homs, Tartus, and Latakia, burning swathes of land amid failure to contain them.
Raed Ibrahim, the mayor of Haffah in northeastern Latakia, warned on Friday of a “major disaster” if the fires reached the Agricultural Bank.
In statements to Al-Watan newspaper, Ibrahim appealed to authorities to send more firefighters and helicopters to extinguish the fire before the whole town burns down.
Syrian state television on Saturday morning broadcast scenes from the affected areas, where firefighters were working to extinguish the blazes.
Syria's Agriculture Minister Mohammed Hassan Qatana said dozens of fires were burning, including “45 in Latakia and 33 in Tartus.”
The Latakia fire brigade said they were “facing the largest series of fires seen in Latakia province in years.”
The Health Ministry said two people had died in Latakia province since Friday as a result of the fires, and that 70 people were taken to hospital suffering breathing difficulties.
Fires heavily damaged a building in Qardahah used as a storage for the state-owned tobacco company, part of which collapsed. The town’s local hospital was also surrounded by flames, according to local media reports.
While the fires reached large swathes of lands in Homs, Tartus, and Latakia countryside, the Russian forces stood idle.
Pro-regime residents expressed frustration towards the government performance and accused it of negligence. They also denounced the failure of Russia to rescue them, amid accusations that the fires were planned.
In response to these accusations, the authorities ordered investigating the reason behind the fires and handing over any possible committers to the competent authority.
Some Facebook pages, that are backed by the regime security forces, posed charges to terrorist groups affiliated with the opposition of standing behind the retaliation fires in pro-regime regions.
