Morocco: On Thursday, firefighters and the army in Morocco tried to control at least four fires that spread in forested areas in the north of the country, Director of the National Center for Climate Risk Management Fouad Assali told Media.
Al-Assali explained that forest fires fueled by violent winds broke out in the northern provinces of Larache, Ouazzane, Tetouan and Taza.
A number of douars (villages) were evacuated from their residents, and four “Kandair” water launchers belonging to the army were operating Thursday afternoon over the areas where the fires broke out near the Kasr al-Kabir area, according to Media.
Surprised by the expanding fires, villagers hurriedly left their homes in stifling temperatures, and some managed to take their cattle and horses with them.
The media confirmed that a small village in the Kasr al-Kabir area had been destroyed by the flames.
El-Assali said, according to what was quoted by MAP, that efforts are continuing in the hope of controlling these fires in the coming hours.
The fires have destroyed thousands of hectares of forest since Wednesday evening in the provinces of Larache and Ouazzane, according to a preliminary estimate.
Hundreds of members of the civil defence, the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces and the gendarmerie are participating in the firefighting effort, with the support of local authorities.
A few days ago, Morocco was hit by a heat wave with the temperature approaching 45 degrees Celsius, in a context of exceptional drought and water scarcity.
