It’s been almost a week now and the fire in Chouwan (Janneh) is still raging and is now threatening homes. There’s apparently a new fire today and Jabal Moussa’s FB page issued a statement earlier today asking people not to head to Chouwan in order to facilitate the work of the Civil Defense and helicopters. They also stated that the “the situation is very critical”. I also got several videos from friends living in Yahchouch and they’re telling me the smell is unbearable.

It’s quite depressing seeing this beautiful valley getting ravaged by this fire. We’re not sure yet what caused this fire and whether it was a criminal act or by mistake. What matters is that someone investigates this urgently and that more measures are taken to prevent future fires.