by Hummam Sheikh Ali

QASTAL MAAF, Syria, July 12 (Xinhua) -- Rifaat Ismail's shoes sink into the ash where olive groves once flourished. Around him, the hills of Beit Awan village lie skeletal -- blackened trunks, hollow beehives, fields reduced to powder.

Ten consecutive days of wildfires devoured 15,000 hectares Syria's northwestern province of Latakia, leaving farmers like Rifaat with nothing but scorched earth and broken tools.

"We lost everything," the 40-year-old told Xinhua. "The fire devoured it all: zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, olive trees, lemon trees. Nothing was left."

His cousin Ali Ismail, a beekeeper, stood nearby, gesturing to the carcasses of 48 beehives: "The rest of the bees fled because of the smoke ... This was our only livelihood. That's why we defended the hives until the last breath, even at the risk of our own lives."

The blaze, fueled by dry winds and scorching heat, ravaged Latakia's northern countryside -- a region already scarred by years-long conflict. Rifaat's home survived the flames, but his family's agricultural lifeline vanished. "The damage is huge. These losses can't be compensated," he said.

"We appeal to the Syrian government and the international community to support us so we can stay in our villages and begin replanting from scratch," he said.

Drone footage and ground video from the site, captured during the height of the blaze, show smoke swallowing ancient pines as villagers and firefighters hacked desperate firebreaks.

Today, the air still reeks of soot; The soil crunches underfoot. For Ali, the toll extends beyond those crops worth 50-70 million U.S. dollars. "Look at these forests. Some of them were hundreds, even thousands of years old. This is a loss no money can restore."

Humanitarian fallout spreads: Dozens of families fled; Thousands more lost their incomes. A massive explosion rocking the region on Friday, which was reportedly triggered by unexploded ordnance, underscored lingering dangers.

Fire crews continue operations despite strong winds and landmine threats, with "the arrival of new reinforcements from several provinces," said head of Latakia's Civil Defense Abdel Kafi Kayyal on Friday.

Over 150 firefighting teams and 300 vehicles are deployed across critical zones, including Jabal al-Nisr and Burj Zahi, supported by heavy machinery carving firebreaks through forests, the Syrian Civil Defense said Friday on Telegram.

International ground crews from Trkiye and Jordan joined the effort, while 16 aircraft from Syria, Trkiye, Jordan, and Lebanon conducted aerial firefighting. On Saturday, Qatar dispatched specialized crews to the region equipped with advanced machinery and aircraft.

The EU Delegation to Syria said Friday that it had activated its "Copernicus" satellite service to provide real-time mapping of fire-affected areas as the wildfires had displaced thousands, and that European countries are exploring further aid to Syrians through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

In mosques, Friday prayers and clerics mourned the forests and prayed for the affected communities.

"Our trees gave us oxygen. They fed our children. Now they're gone," Rifaat murmured, scanning the ghostly landscape. "What else can we do but start over?"