Haifa

Fires in Haifa as seen from space on 24 November 2016

Great fire in Haifa, 24 November 2016

Burnt restaurant in Nataf, 25 November 2016.

Fires in Haifa occurred in dozens of areas and consumed buildings in five locations. Some 75,000 residents of 11 neighborhoods were evacuated by firefighters and the search and rescue Kedem Battalion of the Home Front Command. Two schools were evacuated: Fichman School and Reali (Beit Biram), while there was a fire burning inside Beit Biram itself. At 17:08 (ISTׁ) it was reported that 163 people were injured^[14] including three children and a 6-month-old baby, mainly from smoke inhalation. One woman was moderately injured.^[6][15] 350 firefighters and 115 firefighting vehicles operated in the city.^[16] Three residents were detained by police forces under suspicion of arson after being spotted near one of the epicenters. The fire calmed down in the night between November 24 and 25^[17] and residents were allowed to return home in the afternoon of November 25 while fires were still raging outside the city.^[18]

The estimated cost of damages from the fire in Haifa was 500 million New Israeli Shekels.^[19]

Zikhron Ya'akov

The fires in Zikhron Ya'akov started on November 22 in the Givat Eden neighborhood in the northern part of the town as a result of arson.^[20] Eight people, including two children and a 10-day-old infant were treated for smoke inhalation. Thirty homes were burnt^[20] and at least ten homes were destroyed. Several roads were closed, including Highway 4 and Highway 70.^[21] Residents of Givat Eden and the surrounding areas were told to shut their gas lines and were evacuated.^[22] Residents were allowed to return after 29 hours of fighting, except those whose houses were damaged by the fire.^[23] Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said evidence was found indicating that the initial fire was the result of arson involving gasoline.^[20]

Jerusalem mountains

Two fires erupted near Nataf. The first occurred on November 23 when a small fire lit by road workers to make coffee quickly spread through the wadi below Kibbutz Ma'aleh Hahamisha. The residents of Nataf were evacuated to the nearby community of Yad Hashmona. The fire burned one house completely and caused damage to several others. Two days later, a second fire burnt the restaurant, Rama's Kitchen,^[24] and 25,000 dunams (6,200 acres) in the Kefira nature reserve that surrounds Nataf. Residents were again evacuated and sheltered in the community center of the neighboring Arab village, Abu Ghosh. Firefighters from the Palestinian Authority joined the local residents and the Israel Fire and Rescue Services. A fire-fighting super tanker from the USA joined the fight by spraying water over the burning area. After the second fire, remains of Molotov cocktails were found and a Palestinian from the West Bank was arrested on suspicion of arson.

On November 25, a fire erupted around 02:00 (IST) next to Beit Meir. The residents, including 300 people who were staying at the guest house, were evacuated, mostly to the nearby community of Shoresh. Some houses were damaged. Twenty-five firefighting crews extinguished the flames shortly before 05:30. The police conducted search operations to find the cause of the fire. Residents reported they saw several people fleeing the area after the fire began to spread.^[25][26][27]

Halamish

Fires erupted on the eve of November 25 and consumed large parts of Halamish and the surrounding forest. About 40 houses were set ablaze, of which 15 were burnt to the ground.^[28] The fire was the result of arson by Palestinians and was denounced by Israeli ministers as "terrorism of fire".^[29]

Other fires

• Ein Tamar – fire erupted in a thorn field near the moshav. Four firefighting crews were sent.^[30]
• Dvir – fire erupted at the Dvira forest near the kibbutz.^[31]
• Lakhish – fire erupted in the Lakhish forest near the moshav.^[31]
• Kiryat Gat – fires erupted at two points near the Kiryat Gat intersection in the morning of November 25. The main road in the city was closed and trains were canceled.^[25]
• Dolev – The first fire in the Israeli settlement of Dolev in the West Bank started on November 22 and damaged three caravans in the northernmost neighborhood. Twenty homes were temporarily evacuated as 68 firefighters, assisted by volunteers, worked to extinguish the fire over night.^[32] Investigation revealed that the fire was caused by arson.^[33]
• Talmon – the first fire in Talmon started on November 23 and several neighborhoods were evacuated.^[34][35]
• Gilon – fires started on November 22 and caused 80 residents to be evacuated. Three houses were damaged and electricity was temporarily cut. The fire was brought under control after several hours.^[23]
• Kabul and Tamra – fire erupted between the two Arab towns in northern Israel during the night of November 24.^[36]
• Har Halutz – fire erupted near the communal settlement on November 24 and was extinguished in the early morning hours of November 25. The entire community was evacuated during the fire and six houses were damaged.^[37]
• Iksal and Nazareth Illit – fire erupted between the Arab town and the mixed city on November 24.^[37]
• Ka'abiyye – fire erupted near the Arab town. Five houses were evacuated in a precautionary step.^[37]
• Ya'ad – fire erupted near the moshav on November 25. Residents of 15 houses were evacuated until the fires were extinguished in the afternoon.^[38]
• Geulim – fire erupted near the moshav on November 25 causing no damage.^[39]
• Binyamina – fire erupted next to the town. One man in his forties was injured by smoke inhalation.^[40]
• Harashim – fire erupted in the communal settlement on November 25 and was extinguished on November 26. Residents of the southern part of Harashim were evacuated during the fire.^[41][42]
• Daliyat al-Karmel – fire erupted in the Druze town on November 25 and was extinguished by six firefighter crews.^[43]