Israel’s News Blog Magazine: Daily Stories Video and PhotosFires that have swept over much of southern Greece, including the site of the ancient Olympiad games (pictured), have happened in Israel, and could very well happen here again. Many of the current fires in Greece were found to have been started by “arsonists” including a 77 year old women who was cooking in her back yard. Many of Israel’s past forest and brush fires have also been set by people, either intentionally or by accident. Here are a few of these examples:
1. The terrible fires that destroyed nearly all of the forests in the “Jerusalem Corridor” in the summer of 1994 were caused by people burning brush illegally on a kibbutz near Motza Elite. This fire caused severe forest damage from which the area has not yet recovered.
2. A severe fire on Israel’s Carmel mountain range almost destroyed the Hai Bar nature reserve in the late 1990’s. This reserve, aside from having beautiful natural oak forests, has some of the country’s finest herds of deer, gazelle, and other hoofed mammals.
3. Forest and brush fires near Haifa in the early 2,000’s, destroyed much forest land and brush on the Carmel, and threatened sections of Haifa itself, as well as the popular Ein Hod artist colony.
4. Last summer’s Lebanese War resulted in more than 10,000 hectors of forest, brush and grass lands being scorched by falling Ketiusha rockets. One of the most badly damaged areas was a beautiful forested slope west of the town of Kiryat Shimona.
Other examples far to numerous to mention have caused Israel’s forests, brush, and grasslands to go up in flames, especially during the long dry season lasting from late April to December. With the exception of occasional rain storms in ‘fringe’ months like October and April, Israel has a very long dry season, resulting in brush and grassland becoming literal tinder boxes.
With the exception of the damage caused by war, and occasional fires as a result of lightening, nearly all fires have been the result of either arson or human carelessness. Campfires and coals from weekend cookouts in forests and parks account for a lot of this damage, and nearly all of it can be prevented by people just being less careless at picnics and other outdoor events. Putting water on coals and making sure they are completely put out is one of the best means of preventing fires in forested areas.
There’s not much that can be done, unfortunately, in regards to arson, except to find, and punish, the perpetrators. We in Israel seem to share a common “personality trait” with the Greeks, especially in regards to obeying the law (the Greeks also appear to have a problem with civil disobedience as well).
It’s only a short matter of time before the next substantial brush or forest fires will break out in some part of Israel, with resulting damages not unlike what is currently transpiring in Greece.
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