'Largest fire in years' in paper factory

The commander of the Southern District Fire Fighters, Moshe Suissa, says a fire in the Shaniv paper factory near Ofakim is the largest in the past few years.

“Our estimate is that the fire will continue for several more hours and we will need to replace firefighters on the scene and let the ones who are there now rest,” NRG reports Suissa saying.

“I think this is the largest fire in the south in the past several years. There are huge forces here: 25 firefighting teams, including assistance from the air force and water tanks brought from the IDF base in Nevatim. All in all, there are some 80 firefighters working here.”