Rabat – A devastating fire ignited in a wooded expanse on the outskirts of Tangier on Friday, prompting a swift and coordinated response from local authorities, civil protection units, the Royal Armed Forces, the Royal Gendarmerie, the Auxiliary Forces, the National Agency for Water and Forests.
The inferno, which was driven by scorching temperatures and fierce eastern winds, was ultimately tamed with the invaluable assistance of two Canadair aircrafts.
As the clock struck three on this fateful Friday afternoon, flames erupted perilously close to the burgeoning new city of Ibn Battuta in Tangier. The confluence of high temperatures and relentless gusts rapidly propelled the blaze across the rugged terrain.
Akaboun Halim, the regional director of the National Agency for Water and Forests in Tangier, issued a statement on the catastrophic event.
He emphasized that a well-coordinated emergency response was immediately activated, bringing together units of the Civil Protection, the Royal Armed Forces, the Royal Gendarmerie, the Auxiliary Forces, the services of the National Agency for Water and Forests, and the swift intervention of the National Recovery team.
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To combat the inferno, a pair of Canadair aircrafts were called into action. Flying an astonishing eight sorties, these aerial warriors relentlessly attacked the blaze from above, dropping massive payloads of water and retardant to quell the roaring storm below.
In his statement, Halim revealed that the affected area covered approximately 10 hectares, dominated by secondary grasses. While the scars of this fiery ordeal will linger, it is a testament to the unwavering resolve and bravery of all those who rallied together to safeguard Tangier’s precious forests and the homes of its residents.
