Gamla blaze consumes hundreds of acres of woods

Lightning sparks fire in Golan Heights nature preserve, firefighters battle blaze through the night

Gamla Nature Reserve's riverbed (photo credit: Shmuel Bar-Am)
Gamla Nature Reserve's riverbed (photo credit: Shmuel Bar-Am)

A wildfire in the Golan Heights on Friday and Saturday consumed nearly 750 acres of the Gamla Nature Reserve, a wildlife refuge and historic site in northern Israel.

The blaze, which likely started due to lightning strikes during Friday night’s storm, raged overnight, and firefighting crews battled the flames late into Saturday morning. Six planes aided crews on the ground in controlling the fire.

By morning, park authorities reopened the reserve to visitors, but hundreds of acres of natural forest and brush were destroyed.

 

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