Three firefighters died Monday night during a fire in a forest in northern Morocco, according to Moroccan authorities. Two others were seriously injured. The five firefighters were in their vehicle that fell into a ravine while battling the flames, they added.
According to a preliminary investigation, this fire would be of human origin, local authorities told AFP on Tuesday. Four men suspected of setting the fire were arrested and handed over to judicial police before being prosecuted, authorities in M’diq-Fnideq province, near the port of Tangier, said.
More than 10,000 hectares destroyed in Morocco since the start of the season
This fire has so far caused the destruction of some 90 hectares of forest cover, according to initial estimates. Fire services, including Canadair water bombers, were still mobilized Tuesday to try to control the disaster and prevent it from spreading to inhabited areas.
Last month, forest fires in the north of the kingdom had already killed four people. At the end of July, a villager was charged with arson in Larache province, the region most affected by the fires. He had admitted setting fire to the remains of materials while he was working, starting the fire.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, in total, more than 10,000 hectares have been affected by forest fires in various regions of northern Morocco since the beginning of summer. Like southern Western Europe, Morocco was affected by scorching temperatures, in a context of extraordinary drought and water stress.
Source: BFM TV
