Morocco firefighters battle infernos as villagers flee

Hundreds of Moroccan firefighters and soldiers battled late Thursday to put out at least four infernos ripping through forests in the north of the kingdom, officials said.

The fires, fanned by strong winds in the four areas, have not resulted in any casualties so far, but nearly 500 families were evacuated "as a precaution" in the provinces of Larache and Taza, according to official statements.

Several villages that were evacuated also saw military planes dropping loads of water to extinguish fires tearing across the dry terrain.

Shocked by how fast the flames were spreading, residents fled their homes, with some families herding their cattle and horses -- upon which their livelihoods depend -- ahead of them.

A village in the Ksar El Kebir region was destroyed by the flames.

Hundreds of civil defence workers, as well as soldiers and police officers, are trying to stop the fires from causing more destruction.

In four provinces -- Larache, Ouezzane, Tetouan and Taza -- the fires ripped through forestland that is difficult to access, said Fouad Assali, head of the National Centre for Forest Climate Risk Management.

"Efforts are continuing in the hope of bringing these fires under control," Assali was quoted as saying by the official MAP news agency.

Since Wednesday night, at least 1,000 hectares of forest have burned in Larache and Ouezzane, leaving burnt trees smouldering under a sky blanketed by plumes of smoke.