Morocco Places Nine Provinces on Wildfire Alert

Morocco has placed nine provinces on its highest wildfire alert level as fires intensified across parts of the country, prompting authorities to strengthen monitoring and firefighting efforts.

The National Agency for Water and Forests issued red-level warnings for provinces in northern and eastern Morocco after weather conditions, high temperatures and dry vegetation significantly increased the risk of major forest fires. The alert follows a week of heightened wildfire activity across several parts of the country.

According to the European Commission-backed Global Wildfire Information System (GWIS), more than 4,100 hectares of land have been burned in Morocco since the start of 2026. Around 855 hectares were affected during the past week alone, while satellites detected 1,006 thermal anomalies between January 1 and August 2, including 59 recorded over the last seven days. Officials noted that the thermal anomalies may represent continuing fires rather than separate incidents.

Despite the recent increase in wildfire activity, the total area burned this year remains below the average recorded between 2012 and 2025, indicating that overall fire damage has so far been less severe than in previous years.

Government figures released earlier showed that 310 wildfires were recorded between the beginning of the year and July 20, destroying about 1,850 hectares of land.

Forests cover approximately 12% of Morocco’s land area. Authorities have deployed drones, firefighting aircraft and ground response teams to improve early fire detection, contain outbreaks quickly and reduce the risk of further spread as hot and dry conditions persist.

SOURCE: AA