All residents of the agricultural community Sdot Micha were evacuated from their homes Tuesday afternoon because of a huge blaze that broke out in fields near Beit Shemesh. Two thousand five hundred dunams (more than 600 acres) of forests and groves had been annihilated by the flames by evening time, according to the Jewish National Fund. Several homes reportedly burned down. Residents at the adjacent communities of Tirosh and Gefen were also evacuated.
No one was reported hurt.
Fire experts who were called up to the scene of the blaze found that the fire spread from several locations simultaneously, giving rise to a suspicion of arson.
A large brush fire broke out Tuesday afternoon at Har Kamun near Karmiel in the Galilee. Seven fire crews, assisted by JNF forestry crews and a fire-dousing plane got the blaze under control, after 50 dunams of natural brush were consumed.
At about the same time, fire crews put out a conflagration that broke out at Carmel Park. Four dunams of natural brush burned down on the Nof Carmel road.
The JNF reported that its crews have been fighting fires all day, in other locations too. There were fires near Rosh HaAyin in central Israel, as well as at Tzur Hadassah, Zanoach and Motza in the Jerusalem – Beit Shemesh area. A blaze also broke out near Mei Ami, in north-central Israel.