Moroccan emergency crews continued efforts on Saturday to contain a wildfire that tore through the Afous oasis in the southeastern province of Errachidia, destroying large areas of palm groves.
No casualties have been reported.
A local official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to address the media, said firefighting teams were still working to bring the blaze under control.
The fire erupted on Friday, although authorities have not yet determined the full extent of the damage or the total area affected.
The operation comes as Morocco faces an elevated wildfire threat amid a severe heat wave and exceptionally dry conditions.
Authorities earlier urged residents living near forests in 12 provinces to remain vigilant until July 12 after the National Agency for Water and Forests issued extreme fire-risk warnings.
The agency placed forested areas in 12 of Morocco’s 75 provinces under its highest red alert level, indicating an extreme likelihood of wildfires. Orange alerts signal a high risk and require increased precautions.
Morocco’s wildfire early-warning system evaluates risks using weather forecasts, vegetation conditions and the dryness of forest cover.
Official figures show that wildfires burned around 1,728 hectares of forest across Morocco in 2025. Grasses and seasonal vegetation accounted for about 45 percent of the affected land.
The warnings coincide with forecasts from Morocco’s national meteorological service that temperatures could reach as high as 46 degrees Celsius in some parts of the country.