A fire broke out on Thursday night in a thicket 300 meters from Gva'ot in Gush Etzion. Eight firefighting teams were engaged in controlling the flames.
The firefighting teams were protected by IDF forces, and the town's security coordinator.
The commander for the Judea Firefighting Station, Lieutenant Colonel Tamir Erez, estimated that this is arson by Palestinian Authority Arabs who live in the area.
"The area has a history of arsons, and this fire is also suspicious," Erez said. "We have identified two fires, separate from each other, and other findings which support an arson hypothesis."
He related, "Last night, after we received a notice about a fire, a large number of forces were deployed. Before we even arrived at the scene we identified from afar flames from two different sources, and received many phone calls from concerned citizens, since the fire could be seen from a distance."
"Upon arrival at the scene the teams were divided into two fronts, with the main task being to stop the fire from spreading toward the town. After intense work and containing the fire, we succeeded in achieving control over the incident."