Authorities are investigating a fire at Kenitra’s Oulad Berjal landfill that spread thick smoke across the city and prompted complaints from residents, the municipality said Monday, September 14.
The fire began Friday, September 11. The municipality said crews brought it under control that evening and extinguished part of it, but were still working around the clock to eliminate remaining hotspots.
Residents described an “unbearable” smell of smoke that made breathing difficult and forced them to close windows and limit time outdoors. Their complaint expressed concern for children and vulnerable people, saying they lacked clear information about potential health risks.
The municipality said the response involved 31 machines, including bulldozers, excavators, loaders, trucks and tractors. The landfill operator provided 16, while provincial authorities supplied another 15.
Investigators are working under prosecutors’ supervision to determine the cause.
Mayor Amina Hrouza alleged in a statement to Hespress that the fire could have been deliberately started, pointing to the political climate ahead of the September 23 election.
The municipality said it plans to rehabilitate and close the landfill through a contract worth approximately 30 million dirhams.
It is also preparing a waste recovery and disposal center to ease pressure on Oulad Berjal. Its statement said studies and land acquisition were nearing completion, while Hrouza said both were finished and tender specifications were being drafted.
Hrouza blamed earlier delays on opposition within the council and a pricing dispute involving the company awarded the project in 2021.
She said the company requested higher prices when the municipality sought to sign in 2024, leading to the contract’s termination and a new procurement process.
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