Severe fire in northern Morocco force the evacuation of 500 families

By: MRT Desk

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Moroccan firefighters and soldiers were trying this Friday (07.15.2022) to control at least four fires that are progressing in the north of the country, reported Fouad Assali, the director of the Forest Climate Risk Management Center.

The fires, favored by violent winds, broke out in the provinces of Larache, Uezán, Tetuán, and Taza, Assali specified.

The fires left no victims, but forced the evacuation of more than 500 families in a preventive manner, according to official statements released Thursday night.

Four army seaplanes were operating over the burned areas, near Alcazarquivir, according to AFP journalists.

“Efforts continue in the hope of bringing the fires under control in the next few hours,” Assali was quoted as saying by the MAP news agency.

A small town in the Alcazarquivir region was destroyed by the flames, according to AFP journalists present at the scene.

Since Wednesday night, a thousand hectares of forest have been burned in the provinces of Larache and Uezán, according to a provisional balance.

Morocco has been hit by a heat wave for several days, with temperatures close to 45ºC, in a context of severe drought and water stress.

On the other side of the Strait of Gibraltar, fires are raging in southern Europe, from Portugal to Greece, passing through Spain and France.

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