On Sunday night a large fire broke out in Shokda forest near the Gaza border after a kite bomb exploded in the area. The forest is a popular tourist spot during the winter festival of Darom Adom. Two firefighting teams as well as two teams from Keren Kayemet L’Yisrael are battling the blaze.

A second blaze ignited near the Re’im parking lot. Another five blazes were set on Sunday afternoon due to the kite bombs. Firefighters got most of the fires under control with he exception of the blaze in the area of Or Haner where firefighters are still working to get the fire under control. No injuries were reported in any of the fires but large-scale damage was done to natural forests and wooded areas.

The first fire was ignited near the town of Nir Ha’Am. It took firefighters two hours to get the blaze under control.

The second fire was near Or Haner and spread so widely that a major highway was closed in the area and trains to Sderot were stopped due to the thick smoke in the area. Four firefighting planes are assisting in the attempt to control the blaze.

A third fire was lit in the SImchoni forest, and a fourth caught near Kibbutz Yad Mordechai, while a fifth broke out near Kibbutz Nir Am. In all three instances, firefighters managed to put out the fires quickly.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)