Wildfires continue to devour forests in Morocco

RABAT, Morocco

Raging wildfires continued on Tuesday to devour thousands of hectares of mountain forests in northern Morocco.

In a statement, the Ministry of Agriculture said 9,200 hectares of forests have been destroyed by the flames since last week.

The statement was issued following a visit by Minister of Agriculture and Maritime Fisheries Mohammed Sadiki to the city of Larache, one of the affected areas by the blazes.

Moroccan firefighters have been struggling for a seventh day in a row to contain fires that erupted in the areas of Larache, Ouezzane, Tetouan, and Taza in northern Morocco.

“The fires destroyed large fruitful trees and bee hives in the burnt forests,” the statement said.

Morocco has been hit in recent days by soaring temperatures approaching 45C (113F).

According to local authorities, one person was killed by the fires, which forced the evacuation of more than 1,100 families.

Official figures show that the North African country has seen 165 fires since the beginning of the year.

*Ikram Imane Kouachi in Ankara contributed to this report