Morocco puts out forest fires in 3 provinces

RABAT, Morocco

Moroccan authorities said on Wednesday that forest fires that broke out in three provinces had been brought under control.

A firefighter in the northern province of Ifrane told Anadolu Agency that rescue teams managed to extinguish the fires that erupted on Monday in Jabal Askar in the province before they spread to the regions of El Hajeb and Azrou.

"Efforts continued unstopped for three days to contain the flames,” he added on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Moroccan authorities had to evacuate a summer camp for more than 500 children in the Samim area of Azrou as the fires approached the Ifrane Airport before the flames were brought under control.

Meanwhile, local authorities are still struggling to extinguish forest fires in the provinces of Taounate and Al Hoceima, which have been raging for four days.

Most of Morocco's provinces have witnessed a significant rise in temperature over the past days, reaching 45C (113F) in the areas where the fires broke out.

On Saturday, Moroccan authorities said that the fires that erupted in the northern regions of the country had destroyed about 55 hectares of forest.

Forests make up around 12% of Morocco’s territory.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat in Ankara