Lebanese authorities continue to struggle to put out huge fires in the north of the country that have been destroying large areas of pine trees, and threatening homes and agricultural fields for the third consecutive day. 

"The fire is spreading widely and spreading in all directions due to the winds," Caretaker Agriculture Minister Abbas Mortada told AFP, referring to the spread of the flames to the neighboring Syrian territories.

"The Lebanese state does not have many of the rafts," that are usually used to extinguish large fires, he added.

Huge fires broke out on Wednesday afternoon in forests and wooded areas, killing a 15-year-old boy who volunteered with his townspeople to put out the fires.

Friday, the National News Agency stated that "the fires are out of control in the Jabal Akrom region," which is adjacent to the border with Syria.

The area of the fire expanded at night, according to the agency, "significantly... and approached the orchards and agricultural fields."

So far, no official estimates have been issued for the total losses or the extent of the fires and damages.

On Friday morning, two Lebanese army helicopters "started their flights to extinguish the fire, after a pool of water was installed in one of the fields near the site of the fire."

The Red Cross rescued a volunteer after he suffocated due to smoke inhalation.

The director of civil defense operations, George Abu Musa, told AFP that the firefighting teams are trying to contain the fire, but "there are places that we cannot reach."

Murtada hoped to obtain the help of friendly countries such as Cyprus, Greece and Syria.

On the Syrian side, the authorities announced that they had contained the fires extending from Lebanese territory towards their own, and the official news agency (SANA) quoted Civil Defense Director Saeed Al-Awad as saying that "the fire that extended from Lebanese territory towards the village of Akum in the Al-Qusayr area has been completely extinguished."

In October 2019, huge fires devoured large areas of forest in Lebanon and trapped civilians in their homes amid the inability of the authorities, which received support from several countries to put them out, which the Lebanese considered at the time, further evidence of the authorities' neglect and incompetence.

These fires sparked widespread anger and even constituted one of the reasons behind the unprecedented popular protests that Lebanon witnessed on October 17, 2019 against the political class.