One person died and another was injured this Monday during a forest fire in the province of Tanouate, in northern Morocco, where the outbreaks are reactivated after a few days of calm, according to local authorities.
The two victims were volunteers who participated in the operations of the intervention teams to extinguish a fire in a forest in this province near Fez and Meknes, local sources said. The wounded man was hospitalized but his life would not be in danger.
Emergency aid of almost 30 million euros
Firefighting services worked overnight from Monday to Tuesday to control the fire after ensuring the safety of villagers, local authorities added. Some 33 hectares of forest land were destroyed in the region.
Several outbreaks, of varying magnitude, have resumed in recent hours in northern Morocco, particularly in the province of Larache, south of the Mediterranean port of Tangier, already recently devastated by destructive forest fires that left one dead.
The Moroccan Government has released this Friday an emergency aid of almost 30 million euros to implement measures in favor of the victims of the forest fires and reduce their impact on agricultural activity and the environment.
More than 10,500 hectares, mainly forest massifs, were devastated by the flames from July 13 to 18 in six northern provinces (Larache, Ouezzane, Tetouan, Chefchaouen, Taza and Al Hoceima).
By comparison, 2,782 hectares of forest had been destroyed by 285 fires from January to September 2021, particularly in the mountainous Rif region (north). For Saïd Chakri, a Moroccan environmentalist, these fires are largely due to human causes, but “the reality of climate change” has contributed to their occurrence.
Source: BFM TV
