Morocco extinguishes forest fires in northern, central regions

Moroccan authorities on Saturday extinguished forest fires that broke out in the provinces of Tetouan in the north and Taroudant in central Morocco after they burned around 12 hectares (30 acres) of forest cover, with no casualties reported.

A National Agency for Water and Forests official told Anadolu that the fires erupted on Friday before firefighting teams brought them under control.

The official, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, said authorities deployed Canadair amphibious firefighting aircraft and an EC225 helicopter to support ground crews.

The Taroudant fire burned about 8 hectares (20 acres) of forest cover, while the Tetouan blaze consumed around 4 hectares (10 acres), the official added.

The agency earlier said Morocco had recorded as many as 310 forest fires since the start of the year until July 20, burning an estimated 1,850 hectares (4,572 acres) of forest land.

Morocco operates an early warning system to assess wildfire risks, managed by the National Agency for Water and Forests, which issues regular alerts based on weather conditions and vegetation cover.

Under the system, a red alert indicates the highest level of wildfire risk, while an orange alert signals a high risk requiring enhanced preventive measures and the avoidance of activities that could ignite fires.

The warnings coincided with an alert issued by the General Directorate of Meteorology, which forecast an intense heat wave with temperatures reaching as high as 46C (114.8F) in some regions.