Within minutes, the situation spiraled out of control. The fire, which had been smoldering a few hundred meters below, suddenly consumed the pine forest, fanned by gusty winds, and encircled the White Helmets, the Syrian Civil Defense. Stationed on an overlook along the road that cuts through the forest covering the Turkmen mountains in northwestern Syria, volunteers in short-sleeved T-shirts, without gloves or protective helmets, rushed down the steep slope, shouting "Allahu akbar!" as they tried to help their colleagues haul up the hoses before they caught fire.

The men climbed back up, exhausted and gasping for air, some being carried by their companions. Overcome by the heat and the thick, acrid smoke, they collapsed. The 20 civil defense members retreated, leaving the two water trucks to continue the fight. The 16 water bombers dispatched by Syria, Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon were busy elsewhere. On Wednesday, July 9, dozens of fires dotted the Turkmen mountains, a former battleground between the army of dictator Bashar al-Assad and Syrian rebel factions. "There are so many mines, things keep exploding. The volunteers are afraid to go in," explained Majd Al-Cheikh, a volunteer.

"We found ourselves surrounded more than 20 times. The terrain is too steep and there's too much wind. Thank God, there haven't been any fatalities. We'll try to contain the fire's advance," said Ali Kaikouni, a media officer for the civil defense, who was directing the panicked men. This 30-year-old Syrian from Jisr Al-Choghour has participated in several operations since joining the White Helmets in 2014. He flew his drone over the fire to assess its scale.

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