A major forest fire in northern Morocco is now largely under control, though efforts to fully extinguish it are still underway, the national water and forests agency (ANEF) said on Wednesday.
The blaze, which broke out near the tourist city of Chefchaouen, has seen three of its four main hotspots contained, according to a statement published by the official news agency MAP. Around 500 hectares (1,250 acres) of forest and farmland have been destroyed, but no casualties have been reported.
Some 450 personnel and eight aircraft have been deployed to tackle the flames, and ANEF said all human and logistical resources would remain in place until the fire is completely contained. Abderrahim Houmy, the agency’s director-general, described it as the largest fire of the year, noting its “exceptional” spread due to rugged terrain and strong winds.
A separate fire near Tetouan was brought under control on Wednesday morning. However, AFP journalists reported that hot, dry winds continued to fan embers near Chefchaouen later in the day.
“There were strong winds that drove the fire in several directions,” said local farmer Ahmed Rayane, 52, expressing concern that the flames could spread into a nearby large forest.
In parts of the Chefchaouen region — home to more than 400,000 people — the fire came dangerously close to houses, petrol stations and the town centre of Derdara. Residents from hilltop villages joined the firefighting effort, carrying buckets of water to help douse the flames.
The normally scenic, hiker-friendly slopes of the Rif mountains were blanketed in thick smoke, making visibility difficult for firefighting aircraft. Authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the fire, said regional water and forests director Said Benjira.
Much of Morocco, like large parts of western and southern Europe, has faced intense heatwaves this summer, worsened by the strong, hot chergui winds from the Sahara. The EU’s Copernicus satellite monitoring programme has rated the fire danger across the Mediterranean basin as “extreme to very extreme” from 11 to 17 August, with particularly high risk in northern Morocco.
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