Fire crews backed by Canadair aircraft were battling a forest blaze on several fronts in the mountains of Chefchaouen on Friday, with strong winds and difficult terrain hampering efforts to bring the flames under control.
The fire broke out in the Abrouj area of the Tanghaya forest in Bab Taza commune, burning through densely wooded terrain and damaging trees and other vegetation.
Around 140 personnel were deployed as crews tried to box in the blaze before it could spread towards nearby communities or push deeper into adjoining forest.
The wind was making that job harder.
Strong gusts threatened to whip up the flames and carry burning embers beyond the areas crews were already tackling, while steep slopes and difficult access left some of the fire beyond easy reach from the ground.
The Royal Air Force was called in to take the fight to those areas from above.
Canadair firefighting aircraft had carried out more than six water-dropping sorties over the most difficult pockets of the blaze, helping ground crews move further into the affected forest.
Below, Civil Protection teams with water tankers and four-wheel-drive vehicles were working alongside Water and Forestry personnel, local authorities, the Royal Gendarmerie, Auxiliary Forces and National Promotion workers.
Residents and local elected officials also joined the effort.
Chefchaouen Governor Zakaria Hachlaf was at the scene overseeing the operation, with an on-site command post coordinating crews and equipment as the fire was attacked from different directions.
