Moroccan soldiers, firefighters battle fires in the north

RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Moroccan soldiers are joining firefighters in efforts to contain three wildfires in the north of the country. Several hundred residents were being evacuated from their homes as fires ravage large swaths of pine forests in the North African country. Efforts to put out the fires have been hampered by high temperatures and strong winds. Morocco’s interior ministry said Friday that one person has died in the fires and more than 1,500 hectares (3,700 acres) of forest have been destroyed.