Tartous, Sept. 18 (SANA)Syrian Civil Defense teams extinguished a forest fire in theal-Qadmouscountryside ofTartousprovince on Thursday after more than eight hours of firefighting, a local official said.

The fire spread across five hotspots on forested hills in the mountainous area, making some locations difficult for crews to reach.

Abdul Monem Staef, director of the Emergency and Disaster Management Directorate in Tartous, told SANA thatCivil Defenseteams worked alongside forestry units from the Agriculture Directorate and local residents to bring the fire under control.

Crews continued cooling operations at the site and monitoring the affected area to prevent the fire from reigniting, Staef said.

The rugged terrain and mountainous area complicated efforts to reach some of the hotspots, he added.

Syrian Civil Defense and forestry firefighting teams began containment operations shortly after the fire broke out, with local residents assisting the response.

On Aug. 1, Civil Defense teams in Tartous extinguished three forest fires that broke out in different parts of the province.