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Morocco firefighters battle infernos as villagers flee

Hundreds of Moroccan firefighters and soldiers battled late Thursday to put out at least four infernos ripping through forests in the north of the kingdom, officials said.

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Morocco firefighters battle infernos as villagers flee

"We ran out to flee and fortunately, thanks to God, the fire moved up the mountain."

A village in the Ksar El Kebir region was destroyed by the flames.

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Morocco firefighters battle infernos as villagers flee

Hundreds of civil defence workers, as well as soldiers and police officers, are trying to stop the fires from causing more destruction.

In four provinces -- Larache, Ouezzane, Tetouan and Taza -- the fires ripped through forestland that is difficult to access, said Fouad Assali, head of the National Center for Forest Climate Risk Management.

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Morocco firefighters battle infernos as villagers flee

"Efforts are continuing in the hope of bringing these fires under control," Assali was quoted as saying by the official MAP news agency.

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Morocco firefighters battle infernos as villagers flee

Since Wednesday night, at least 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres) of forest have burned in Larache and Ouezzane, according to initial reports, leaving burnt trees smouldering under a sky blanketed by plumes of smoke.

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Morocco firefighters battle infernos as villagers flee

INTENSE DROUGHTS, SOARING TEMPERATURES

The North African nation, which is struggling under intense droughts, has in recent days been hit by soaring temperatures approaching 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit).

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Morocco firefighters battle infernos as villagers flee

"It is the heat that causes this kind of fire. It was yesterday at dawn that the fire reached our village," Ahmed Mezouar, 58, a resident of Larache, told AFP, adding that he was hopeful that firefighters would be able to contain it.

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Morocco firefighters battle infernos as villagers flee

Still, he worried, as a neighbouring village had been completely surrounded by the flames.

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Morocco firefighters battle infernos as villagers flee

"We are afraid for our houses," he said. "For the moment, we are safe."

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Morocco firefighters battle infernos as villagers flee

Across the Strait of Gibraltar, wildfires are also raging in southern Europe, from Portugal and Spain through to France and Greece.

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Morocco firefighters battle infernos as villagers flee

Scientists say extreme weather events such as heatwaves and droughts, which make wildfires more likely, are linked to climate change.

They are expected to become even more frequent, more prolonged and more intense in the future.