RABAT, Morocco/ISTANBUL

Moroccan authorities continued efforts on Wednesday to extinguish a forest fire in the northern Chefchaouen province.

According to an Anadolu reporter, the authorities are using Canadair amphibious firefighting aircraft to put out the flames, which broke out on Tuesday.

No fatalities were reported in the fire.

The blaze started in the Dardara forest on the outskirts of Chefchaouen amid record-high temperatures, an official from the Moroccan National Agency for Water and Forests (ANEF) said.

He added that specialized aircraft and civil protection teams were still working to put out the fire.

“The people of the area didn’t sleep all night as they worked to help extinguish the fire,” Suleiman Rakib, a local resident, told Anadolu.

He added that the flames have caused significant damage, especially to olive trees.

According to witnesses, the forested mountainous terrain has made it harder for firefighters to control the flames.

On Monday, Morocco’s meteorological service warned of a heat wave reaching 46°C (114.8°F) in several areas, expected to last for several days.

Moroccan authorities recorded about 382 forest fires in 2024, destroying roughly 874 hectares of woodland – an 82% decrease compared to 2023.

Forests cover about 12% of Morocco’s land area, and the country experiences fires of varying intensity each year depending on weather conditions and human activity.