Firefighters battle 240 wildfires across Kingdom in 24-hour period

AMMAN — Firefighters have combatted around 240 wildfires that engulfed an area of 5,000 dunums across the Kingdom in the past 24 hours, according to a statement issued on Monday by the Civil Defence Department (CDD).

The majority of those fires broke out as a result of an intense heat wave that struck Jordan, the statement said. However, the CDD added that many of the fires were man-made, caused by careless behaviours such as discarding cigarette butts in open areas and areas with dense undergrowth.

The CDD urged the public not to light fires in vegetated areas “for any reason”, including burning weeds and bushes in their gardens and farmland.

No casualties resulting from the wildfires were reported in the past 24 hours, the statement added.

The CDD called for an active public-private partnership to encourage volunteers to remove dry brush and weeds from areas susceptible to recurring fires, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.