Massive fire erupts in quneitra forests amid Iran’s neglect of Ahwazi environment
A massive fire broke out in the forests of Quneitra, north of Ahwaz, lasting for more than twenty hours before local firefighting teams managed to bring it under control. The incident occurred amid a total absence of any effective support from Iranian authorities, who continue to deliberately ignore environmental disasters in the region.
According to local sources, firefighting teams faced great difficulties due to the lack of modern equipment, forcing them to walk for four hours through rugged mountain paths to reach the fire site. This delay caused the blaze to spread further, destroying large areas of natural forest.
Ahwazi residents and volunteers participated in individual efforts to save what remained of the vegetation, while Iranian authorities merely issued a delayed statement claiming that the fire had been “brought under control.”
According to Ahwazi environmental activists, this incident reflects Iran’s deliberate negligence of Ahwaz’s natural resources, as forest and pasture fires recur every year without any serious plans for prevention or disaster management leading to environmental destruction and the displacement of residents from their lands.
It is worth noting that Quneitra alone contains more than 230,000 hectares of forest, mostly oak and almond trees. However, due to environmental neglect and continuous disregard by Iran, these natural resources remain highly vulnerable to fires and desertification.
