Due to the hot and dry weather conditions affecting Israel currently, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu made a public request to all Israelis to refrain from lighting bonfires for the Lag Ba’Omer holiday.

Earlier in the day, the Fire Commissioner, Rav Tefser Dadi Simchi sent a letter to both Chief rabbis of Israel, warning them of the dangers of lighting bonfires due to the weather and strong winds expected throughout the country over the day.

Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef issued a statement and asked the public to be extra cautious if they choose to light a bonfire and to make sure to put it out and not lose control of fires that they light.

Commissioner Simchi published rules to fires that would be allowed to be lit:

-A fire that is not in a forested area and is in a designated fire pit dug into the ground.

-It is required to have at least 300 meters of space between a bonfire and a forested area.

-The distance between a bonfire and any gas balloon or pipe must be at least 60 meters.

• •  20 meters are required between bonfires and electrical power lines or buildings.
  • there must be no less than 6 meters between each bonfire.
  • The base of any bonfire must not be larger than 3 meters in diameter and cannot be higher than 1.7 meters above the ground.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)