Dozens of animals were burnt to death Saturday night in a blaze that spread in a barn located in Arava, in the western Galilee. The police opened an investigation to determine whether the fire was caused by arson.

On Friday night, the Balil animal food factory, also in the Galilee, was set on fire. Local residents of the Sdeh Ilan agricultural settlement suspect Arabs of arson there. One of the residents told Arutz-7 Hebrew news that the fire destroyed most of the work of the farmers on Sdeh Ilan and caused damage estimated to be NIS 4 million (over $1 million). The resident said that the factory fire was still blazing past midnight Saturday night.

Two years ago, a similar arson incident occurred at the animal food factory. As a result, security has been stepped up, including on Friday night.