Wildfire rages for 2nd day in Lebanon, spreads to Syria

Lebanese firefighters are struggling for the second day to contain wildfires in the country’s north that have spread across the border into Syria

QOBAYAT, Lebanon -- Lebanese firefighters struggled for the second day on Thursday to contain wildfires in the country’s north that have spread across the border into Syria, civil defense officials in both countries said. The fires killed at least one person, a 15-year-old boy, who was helping firefighting efforts in Lebanon. Lebanon’s civil defense said it deployed 25 firetrucks, supported by four air force helicopters and military units, to put out the blaze. But the fires continued to rage, spreading east, and have already affected large swaths of forest in the mountainous north. Residents posted videos and images of scorched forests, blackened trees and fires on mountaintops, as the blaze closes in on the village of Qobayat. There was no official estimate yet of the area affected. Lebanon’s Red Cross said late Wednesday it had evacuated 17 people and treated more than 30, including eight who have been hospitalized.