Two women died of “asphyxiation” after several forest fires broke out on Monday night in the province of Larache, in northern Morocco, already recently affected by destructive fires, according to information obtained from local authorities.
These deaths bring to four the number of people killed by fires in the north of the kingdom since mid-July.
The last two victims “did not want to respond to the calls of the local authorities to vacate the houses threatened by the fires,” the Larache provincial authorities told AFP.
The day before, a volunteer had perished in the province of Taounate (north) while fighting the flames together with the intervention teams mobilized to extinguish a fire that devastated at least 33 hectares of wooded land, mainly planted with pine trees.
Several houses in the region of Larache
Another person, a victim of the flames, had died in the province of Larache in mid-July. In this same area, where thousands of hectares have recently been ravaged by forest fires, more than 700 families from a dozen douars (villages) have had to be relocated since Monday as a preventive measure.
Four outbreaks were still active Tuesday night in the Larache region, south of Tangier. Firefighting services on land are supported there by four Canadair water bombers taking their supplies from a nearby dam and the Mediterranean port of Tangier.
Four other disasters, fueled by strong winds, continue to spread in Tanouate province, according to local authorities. A threatened village has been secured. Finally, another fire has devastated since Monday afternoon 35 hectares of wooded land in the province of Fahs-Anjra, also in the north, according to the same sources.
More than 10,000 hectares vanished
The Moroccan Government 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.
According to the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Water and Forests, Mohamed Sadiki, the total area affected by the recent forest fires in various regions of the north of the kingdom reaches 10,300 hectares.
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. Morocco has been suffering from scorching temperatures for several weeks, in a context of exceptional drought and water stress.
Source: BFM TV
