By Ahmad Bentaher and Rania Abu Shamala
RABAT, Morocco/ISTANBUL (AA) - A fire broke out in a forest in Morocco’s northern Taounate province on Monday amid soaring temperatures.
The blaze erupted in al-Ghararsa forest in Taounate, according to an official from Morocco’s National Agency for Waters and Forests (ANEF).
Morocco’s state broadcaster 2M reported that the flames also spread to farmers’ fields in Bani Qora in the same province, though no casualties were recorded.
“The fire mobilized firefighting teams, local volunteers, authorities, and gendarmerie units, whose combined efforts worked to extinguish it,” it said.
On Saturday, Morocco’s National Agency for Waters and Forests warned residents in forest-adjacent areas across several northern and eastern provinces of possible wildfires between Sunday and Wednesday, amid forecasts of a heat wave with temperatures reaching 46C (114.8F).
Authorities estimated that in 2024, some 382 wildfires destroyed about 874 hectares of forest, an 82% decrease compared to 2023.
Forests cover roughly 12% of Morocco’s territory, which experiences fires of varying severity each year depending on weather conditions and human activity.