Two women died of “asphyxiation” after the start of several forest fires on Monday evening in the province of Larache, in northern Morocco, already recently experienced by destructive fires, we learned on Tuesday from local authorities.
These deaths bring to four the number of people who have died because of the fires in the north of the kingdom since mid-July.
The last two victims “did not want to respond to calls from local authorities of the imperative to evacuate homes threatened by fires“, said the provincial authorities of Larache.
The day before, a volunteer had perished in the province of Taounate while fighting the flames alongside the intervention teams mobilized to put out a fire which ravaged at least 33 hectares of wooded land.
Another person, victim of the flames, had died in the province of Larache in mid-July.
In this same area, where thousands of hectares have recently been devastated by forest fires, 536 families from 11 villages have had to be evacuated since Monday as a preventive measure.
Firefighting services are working on Tuesday to control several outbreaks that have destroyed at least 30 hectares of forest in the Larache region.
They are assisted in particular by four water bombers and tank trucks firefighters.
Another fire has since Monday evening destroyed 35 hectares of forested land in the province of Fahs-Anjra, according to local authorities.
More than 10,500 hectares, mainly of forest massifs, were ravaged by the flames from July 13 to 18 in six northern provinces (Larache, Ouezzane, Tetouan, Chefchaouen, Taza and Al Hoceima).
On Friday, the Moroccan government released emergency aid of nearly 30 million euros to implement measures in favor of the victims of forest fires and reduce their impact on agricultural activity and the environment.
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