Forest fires that broke out on Wednesday in northern Morocco have killed one person and forced hundreds of families to leave their homes.
An official non-final report reiterated that the fires destroyed at least 1,600 hectares of forests in the states of Larache, El Wazzan, Tetouan, and Taza in the north of the Kingdom.
Morocco has been experiencing a heat wave for days, with temperatures approaching 45 degrees Celsius, at a time when the country is experiencing exceptional drought and water stress.
In the midst of the great heat wave in the kingdom, the Moroccan authorities said on Friday that one person had died in violent fires that devastated remote forest areas in the north of the country since Wednesday, which led to the evacuation of about 1,000 families.
"The body of a person with multiple burns was found" in a fire in the Larache region, said a statement issued by the Moroccan authorities.
At least 1,600 hectares of forests were destroyed in the northwestern provinces of Larache, El Wazzan, Tetouan, and Taza, according to a non-final report.
The rapid spread of flames fanned by the "Sharqi", a hot wind originating from the desert, forced 1,100 families to evacuate about fifteen villages in the affected areas of Larache. About 645 residents were evacuated in the states of Taza and Tetouan.
About seventy houses were burnt in Tetouan, near the port of Tangiers, and about a hundred head of livestock died.
On the other side of the Strait of Gibraltar, fires are burning in southern Europe, from Portugal to Greece, through Spain and France.
Extensive reinforcements
In order to confront these fires, hundreds of civil protection, water, and forestry personnel, the Royal Armed Forces, and the Royal Gendarmerie, as well as "Turbo-Trash" aircraft belonging to the Royal Gendarmerie, were mobilized.
Volunteers and local authorities helped stop the spread of the fire. Reinforcements were also sent to the place.
The local authorities indicated that one of the fires was extinguished, while another was under control in the state of Larache.
Morocco has been facing a heat wave for several days, as temperatures approached 45 degrees Celsius at a time when the country is experiencing exceptional drought and water stress.