Chefchaouen – The fire that broke out last Thursday in the Achacha-Tassift forest, in the province of Chefchaouen, destroyed around 470 hectares of vegetation, said Regional Director of Water, Forests and the Fight against Desertification (HCEFLCD) of Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima Abdelaziz Hajjaji.

About half of the destroyed vegetation in the forest located in the Talassemtane park consisted of Maritime Pines, Aleppo Pines, Juniper and Holm oaks, while the other half was made of herbs, said Hajjaji in a statement to MAP.

Air and land intervention teams are still trying to contain the fire, he said, noting that the region’s landscape makes it difficult for fire trucks to enter the zone.

A total of eight aircraft, including four Royal Air Forces “Canadair” and four “Turbo Thrush” from the Royal Gendarmerie, and many tankers were mobilized to contain the fire that spread due to high temperatures and winds, Hajjaji added.

The air and land intervention carried out by 300 people enabled to limit the damage of the fire, and the members of the HCEFLCD regional delegation, the civil defense, the auxiliary forces, the Royal Armed Forces, Local authorities and citizens are still working together to extinguish the fire.