Massive fire devastates historic Taroudant market, destroys most shops

A massive fire ravaged the Jnan Jamaa market in Taroudant on Thursday, destroying around 75 percent of its shops, according to local authorities.

No casualties were reported, though material losses were described as “extensive.”

Officials said firefighting units, including reinforcements from Agadir, were deployed to contain the blaze and assess the condition of the remaining stores.

Preliminary reports suggest the fire began in a metal welding shop, before spreading to a nearby plastic goods store and engulfing the market’s densely packed stalls.

Ahmed Aït Oumghar, president of the An-Nour Association for Development and Solidarity of Jnan Jamaa Traders, told Hespress that “almost all the shops have turned to ashes,” describing the scene as “total devastation.”

Oumghar criticized the unsafe and disorganized state of the historic marketplace, which contains over 500 shops. He said traders had repeatedly alerted authorities about poor electrical wiring and fire hazards, recalling a smaller blaze that struck the same site in 2021.

Authorities have launched an investigation into the exact cause of the fire.