One person was killed and another was injured on Monday during a forest fire in the province of Tanouate, in northern Morocco, where outbreaks are reactivating after a few days of calm, according to local authorities.
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The two victims were volunteers who participated in the operations of the intervention teams to extinguish a fire in a forest in this province near Fez and Meknes, specify local sources.
The injured was hospitalized but his life would not be in danger.
Fire-fighting services were working overnight from Monday to Tuesday to control the fire after ensuring the safety of villagers, local authorities added.
About 33 hectares of forest estate were destroyed in the region.
Several outbreaks, of varying magnitude, have resumed in recent hours in northern Morocco, particularly in the province of Larache, south of the Mediterranean port of Tangier, already devastated recently by destructive forest fires which left one dead.
On Friday, the government released emergency aid of nearly 30 million euros to implement measures for the victims of forest fires and reduce their impact on agricultural activity and the environment.
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).
The envelope of 290 million dirhams (28.8 million euros) should be used to rebuild destroyed homes and to help livestock breeders and beekeepers in the affected areas, according to the services of the head of government.
It must also finance reforestation operations, on some 9,330 hectares, and the rehabilitation of affected fruit trees, the statement said.
By way of comparison, 2,782 hectares of forest had been destroyed by 285 fires from January to September 2021, in particular in the mountainous region of the Rif (north).
For Saïd Chakri, a Moroccan environmentalist, these fires are largely due to human causes, but “the reality of climate change” has contributed to them.
Morocco has been hit for several weeks by scorching temperatures, in a context of exceptional drought and water stress.