Last update - 00:00 23/06/2007
Fires rage throughout western Galilee; arson suspected in some cases
By Jack Khoury, Haaretz Correspondent
Dozens of dunams of fields and groves burned Saturday as brush fires raged throughout the western Galilee. The high temperatures made it difficult for firefighters to put out the blazes, and in some cases the teams were assisted by planes.
Fires broke out near the communities of Sakhnin and Karmiel, Dir el-Assad and Abu Sna'an, but did not pose any danger to residents.
Amir Levy, spokesman for the firefighter squad in the western Galilee, said that in some of the situations, arson was suspected, but a formal investigation has not been opened yet.
In the Kiryat Ata forest and in the olive groves belonging to Kibbutz Yochanan, 60 dunams were ruined. Arson is suspected because of an ongoing dispute between the kibbutz and shepherds from the area over usage of the nearby fields.