Fires raging in north Syria kill four firefighters

DAMASCUS, Sep 22 (Reuters) Four firefighters died battling forest fires that have been raging in northern Syria since Wednesday, the official news agency said today.

Planes from neighbouring Turkey had joined Syrian teams to try to contain the fires, which had spread to the area around the main road between the trading hub of Aleppo and the port of Latakia on the Mediterranean, the agency said.

Witnesses said several villages had been evacuated and a number of side roads closed, but no more casualties were reported.

Above-average temperatures have contributed to a series of forest fires in Syria over the past few months.

REUTERS AK PM0254