A Deadly Explosion in Salamiyah
A gas-cylinder explosion tore through a shop in the town of Salamiyah, in Hama province, on 28 October 2026, killing one young man and seriously injuring an elderly woman. The blast destroyed the shop and the seller's adjacent home and cracked the walls of neighboring buildings.
According to accounts of the incident, the explosion began as a worker transferred gas from large restaurant-sized cylinders into smaller household ones while smoking. A separate cylinder blast was reported around the same time at a house in the town's Hara al-Jura district.
A Black Market in the Open
The incident drew attention to an informal fuel trade that has moved into plain view. Facing persistent shortages, many residents buy gasoline and diesel from unlicensed sellers at elevated prices and store the fuel at home.
Yellow plastic drums holding gasoline and diesel now stand outside houses and shops in most Syrian cities, including places where no fuel is officially sold. The practice concentrates volatile fuel in residential areas with little oversight.
Questions Over Quality
Supply problems have been compounded by complaints over quality. A recent batch of contaminated gasoline reached filling stations and damaged cars and motorcycles, prompting some sellers to market "pure" fuel at a premium.
Others try to treat low-grade gasoline by hand, mixing in oil and octane additives. Customers have disputed the results, saying the improvised method does little to restore performance.
Prices Heading Into Winter
The strains follow a decision by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources to raise fuel prices in September 2026, a move that rippled outward into higher costs for a range of consumer goods.
Sellers of diesel, the fuel most used for heating, expect shortages to deepen as winter arrives and demand climbs. For now, the gap between official supply and daily need continues to be filled by an unregulated market.