Fires force evacuations in northern community, West Bank settlement
Several homes catch fire in Havat Gilad, near Nablus; In Jezreel Valley town, first line of houses is vacated as firefighters tackle blaze; no reports of injuries
Fires in northern Israel and in the northern West Bank led to evacuations in two Israeli communities on Saturday, with reports of several homes ablaze in a settlement.
In the Havat Gilad settlement, west of Nablus, a number of homes caught fire, and residents were rushed away.
Officials said the fire had spread from the direction of the nearby settlement of Kedumim.
After hours of work by firefighting teams and firefighting planes, emergency responders gained control over the Havat Gilad fire, according to a joint statement from the police, fire service and military on Saturday night.
Arson investigators were looking into the source of the blaze, which an initial probe indicated was sparked by an unextinguished cigarette butt flicked to the side of a road. Law enforcement was working to track down the vehicle from which the cigarette butt was hurled.
Separately, in Shimshit, in the Jezreel Valley, the first line of houses was evacuated due to a large brush fire.
Police said officers and firefighters were on the scene to prevent the blaze from reaching the community.
There were no reports of casualties in any of the events.
שריפה פרצה בחוות גלעד שבשומרון. בתים בקו הראשון ביישוב עלו באש. כביש 55 למערב נחסם לתנועהhttps://t.co/hXOCiPvfX0 pic.twitter.com/MlXvkwKV2y
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) July 18, 2026