Some 25 firefighter squads on Monday are battling a blaze that broke out near Beit Shemesh as a heat wave sparked fires throughout the country.

The Beit Shemesh fire began during the afternoon, and was apparently sparked by welding carried out near a factory in the local industrial zone. It soon spread to a row of factory buildings, including a plastics manufacturer, which caused heavy and toxic smoke to bellow.

Firefighters instructed nearby residents of nearby Kibbutz Tzora living within 200-meters from the conflagration to evacuate their homes, and enjoined others to stay indoors and keep their windows shut.

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Over 20 dunams of Tzora Forest vegetation were burnt, and the blaze was brought under control only during the evening.

Elsewhere, fires reduced some 5 dunams of forest in the Lachish area to ashes, and a number of orchards in the Sharon region, Jerusalem's Ein Karem neighborhood and Kfar Sirkin were also damaged by fires.