Devastating forest fires that broke out last week in forested areas of northern Morocco have been contained, authorities said Monday.One of the last fires, which destroyed some 500 hectares (1,200 acres) of forest — half of it forested — was tamed on Monday in Tetouan province, local authorities said.

Firefighting teams had earlier brought blazes elsewhere under control, notably in Larache, the worst-affected province, where one person was killed.Up to Sunday, fires had burned across 6,600 hectares, according to the national forest agency.

Twenty villages, some in remote areas, had been evacuated.But with temperatures expected to reach between 41 and 46 degrees Celsius (around 105-114 degrees Fahrenheit) during the remainder of this week, according to the national meteorological office, there could be more to come.Said Chakri, an environmentalist quoted by national news agency MAP, said that "the reality of climate change" contributed to the devastation.

A Turbo Thrush plane dispatched to douse the flames in Tetouan was forced to make an emergency landing on Sunday, without injury to the pilot.A total of eight Turbo Thrush planes were deployed, alongside five Canadair planes, and some 2,000 personnel, including civil defence, the gendarmerie, and the army, were mobilised.

Credit:
Independent News Pakistan-INP