driven wildfires raked the sparsely inhabited Mumah Mountain for a fourth day Friday. The raging fire has scorched half a million square meters of this densely forested mountain in Balasmir in the southern part of the Kingdom, authorities said. Hot temperatures, steady winds and tinder-dry vegetation created favorable conditions for the fire to spread. For a second day, erratic gusty winds surprised firefighters walking up through the fire zone mapping its borders. They were overrun by flames and smoke. A large team of firefighters and a helicopter were dispatched to the mountainous area. Firefighters descended on the mountain to help douse the flames, and found it a challenging task. Roads were narrow, the forest was thick, and the flames were burning in steep canyons where winds could easily fan embers into an inferno. Their basic equipments were not of much help, however. Authorities said the difficult rocky steep terrain has complicated their efforts. Exhaustion was taking its toll on firefighters, who have found themselves fighting blazes on multiple fronts as summer has just begun. “A lightning striking the mountain could have caused the fire to start,” said Asir Civil Defense spokesman Maj. Muhammad Al-Asmi. No casualties have been reported. Onlookers have found a scene from Reality TV show as they took photos and video clips of the firefighters battling the fire. – Okaz __
