Wildfires in Syria's Jabal Turkman have expanded due to strong winds as firefighting teams battle the blaze for a fifth consecutive day, Syria's Civil Defence director Abd al-Kafi Kayal said on May 11.

The fires in the Latakia countryside have spread to new areas and increased in intensity due to strong winds and high temperatures, Kayal told SANA news agency.

Teams from reformed Civil Defence and other authorities are working at full capacity to control the fires, which have now extended to the villages of Rihaneya, Qasab and Sakri, he said.

"The terrain and lack of agricultural roads that would allow vehicles to reach the burning areas pose a major obstacle to firefighting teams," Kayal noted.

Emergency teams extinguished a large section of the fire early on May 11, but renewed winds intensified the blaze after 2 pm, forcing teams to create water barriers to prevent spread to neighbouring villages.

Civil Defence is opening new roads within the fire zone to reach the valley behind the hillside where the fires ignited, as the area contains steep slopes hindering access.

Syria's Ministry of Emergency and Disasters formed a joint operations room with several ministries, including Agriculture, Defence and Interior, to control the blazes in the Rabiaa area of rural Latakia.

Turkish authorities have approved a request to dispatch helicopters to help combat the fires, Syrian Emergency Services reported on May 10.

"The collaborative effort between our nations will significantly enhance our firefighting capabilities in this challenging environment," a ministry spokesperson said.

An update on May 11 at 11 am local time reported that teams had partially controlled the fire in several areas, with up to 80% containment in some locations. Teams are opening new firebreaks and creating controlled lines to facilitate suppression before winds intensify.

The mountainous coastal region has experienced increasingly severe wildfire seasons in recent years, with experts citing climate change as a contributing factor to longer and more intense fire seasons throughout the Mediterranean basin.