A massive fire that broke out Thursday afternoon in Margaliot and near Kiryat Shmona threatened to consume homes nearby, the Northern District Fire and Rescue Service said.
A number of houses were evacuated on Hatzel Street in Kiryat Shmona, after the fire reached an area close to the first line of houses.
Fourteen teams of firefighters from the Galilee-Golan Heights station spent four hours fighting the blaze along with cross-district assistance and additional support from firefighting planes in the skies overhead.
Some residents in Kiryat Shmonah were evacuated from their homes due to the threat from the approaching flames.
The cause of the fire is unclear.
At around 7:30 pm, four firefighting planes ended their operations from the air. Firefighting officials said efforts continued to focus on two fronts where flames remained:
- Ascending the mountain and protecting the settlement of Margaliot and a military facility.
- South of Kiryat Shmona, near the wooded area.
Northern District Commander Tafsar Nizar Fares, commander of the efforts, said firefighters will continue through the night to battle the two blazes that remain, with the assistance of water tankers and IDF vessels from the IDF Northern Command.
