Casual shirt and cap on his head, Nizar Baraka went to meet the firefighting intervention teams and the teams of his department, mobilized to mitigate the devastating effects of forest fires, at the level of the provinces of Taza, Larache, Tetouan, Ouezzane and Chefchaouen. They managed to put three fires under control for good, while efforts continue to contain the other fires in the coming hours.
According to the National Water and Forests Agency (ANEF), the damaged area reached, from Wednesday evening until Sunday July 17, 6,600 hectares, adding that the efforts of the intervention teams focused, first, on securing douars near burned forests and preserving their property. Thus, 20 douars were proactively evacuated.
To deal with these fires, about 2,000 elements of Water and Forests, Civil Protection, Royal Armed Forces, Royal Gendarmerie, Auxiliary Forces and local authorities, equipped with tank trucks, first intervention trucks, were mobilized. Also, five “Canadair” planes and eight “Turbo Trush” type planes of the Royal Gendarmerie were used during these operations.
For the first time, ANEF drones were used to detect and monitor fires to determine the priorities of air and ground interventions, after studying and analyzing infrared images.
Thus, the Agency affirms that three fires have been definitively brought under control in Tahla (Taza), Sahel El Menzla (Larache) and Mokrisset (Ouezzane) and this, in parallel with the return of 95% of the inhabitants to their homes, after the complete control of these fires.