Hundreds of people have been forced to flee as wildfires spread in northeastern Syria, according to civil defense officials. Emergency crews are battling to contain the fast-moving flames which have been fuelled by intense heat and strong winds. Thousands of hectares of forest and farmland have burned in the country’s northwest Latakia province. The fires, which have been burning for nearly a week, come as Syria’s new government tries to push forward the country’s recovery after more than a decade of war and crippling sanctions, with basic services non-existent in many areas. The country is also in the grip of a long-running drought.
