فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
After efforts lasting more than 24 hours, local authorities in Tetouan announced that firefighting teams had controlled most parts of the Beni Karrish forest fire, reaching a containment rate of 95 percent. This achievement puts an end to a grave danger that had been threatening the region.
The flames broke out on the night of Tuesday-Wednesday, at around 8:23 PM, igniting vast parts of the forest and advancing towards residential areas in the nearby Beni Karrish municipality. This necessitated the largest rescue operation in the province.
In an exclusive statement to the newspaper “Al Oula,” Halim Akkaoun, the Provincial Director of Water, Forests, and the Fight Against Desertification in the Tetouan province, explained that the situation is now almost fully under control. He added that what remains of the fire is limited to a few small, scattered hotspots that the teams are working to extinguish completely within the next few hours.
To accomplish this difficult mission, a large joint force of 480 personnel was mobilized, including members of Civil Protection, Water and Forests, the Auxiliary Forces, and local authorities. They fought an unequal battle against the flames under harsh conditions.
Akkaoun confirmed that the intervention teams faced significant challenges, most notably the rugged terrain of the forest, in addition to strong easterly winds that fanned the flames and helped them spread at a rapid pace, making the containment mission even more difficult.
The official stressed that the top priority for the rescue teams was to protect the lives of residents and their property, especially as the flames reached very close distances to several inhabited homes in the municipality.
Concluding his statement, Halim Akkaoun noted that this successful operation did not result in any loss of human life or material property. This is considered a major achievement credited to the rapid and effective coordination among the various interveners and their intensive mobilization, which enabled them to control the situation before it could escalate into a disaster.
