Israel hit by a record heat wave; fires are raging all over the country



[ad_1]

Firefighters clashed with a number of big flames on Wednesday as the Israelis tried to stay cool during an intense heat wave that set records for the highest recorded temperatures in July.

Several large fires broke out in the afternoon at the Horshim Forest in central Israel and in the Ahihud Forest to the north, as well as to the Churchill Forest. near Nazareth Illit.

Seven firefighting teams and four firefighting aircraft were also working to extinguish a mbadive fire near the Kibbutz Re'm at the east of the Gaza border, one of 10 fires that have erupted along the border since the morning.


Receive the daily edition of the Times of Israel by email and never miss our best stories


Free registration

A spokesman for the emergency service said one of the fires near Gaza had been fired by an incendiary balloon. At this point, he said, there was no indication that the remaining flames were caused by inflamed airborne devices.

Elsewhere, police and firefighters were working to put out a fire in the Karmei Tzur settlement in the southern West Bank. The army said that the fire had been caused by a number of Molotov badtails that were thrown at the colony's security fence.

The fire spread to the first row of houses and caused significant damage to at least three of them. The emergency personnel managed to evacuate the inhabitants of the area and no one was injured.

Damage caused to a house in the Karmei Tzur settlement in the West Bank, according to the Israeli army, by a Molotov badtail, July 25, 2018. (Asaf Wilf

The wave of fires occurred following a severe heat wave throughout the country, the Israeli Meteorological Service recording temperatures as high as 43 ° C (109 ° F) in the seaside town of Eilat, in the Red Sea.

Beit Dagan in central Israel and Negba in the south, the highest temperatures in July were recorded, while the 41 ° C (105 ° F) in the Gaza region were also the highest ever recorded In July

During the heat wave, Israel Electric Corporation officials said that electricity consumption peaked at 12,921 megawatts at 2:50 pm, 16 megawatts higher than the previous record of September 2015.

lower s next Thursday at almost their average for this time of year, with temperatures even lower scheduled Friday and Saturday.

Young ultra-Orthodox Jews are seen in the northern city of Safed on July 25, 2018. (David Cohen / Flash90) [DeputyPrimeMinisterMosheKahlonaofficiallydeclaredthattheNegueverthisknowledge

Kahlon on Wednesday approved Drought Committee recommendations that brought together officials from Tax Administration and Ministry of Agriculture. The decision releases relief funds for crop farmers who should be affected by water shortages. According to a statement by the Department of Finance, it is wheat, barley, oats and chickpeas.

The drought is expected to be relatively low, according to the authorities, with damage that should not exceed 3-4 million ($ 820,000-1,100,000). In the past, years of drought have caused damage to southern farmers rising to 30 million shekels ($ 8.2 million)

[ad_2]
Source link