A blaze described as “huge” in scale was burning in IDF training grounds at Lachish, near the communities of Amatzia and Shekef, and was reportedly put out Thursday evening. Lachish is an area of south-western Israel, between the Judean mountains and Ashkelon. There was no attempt to evacuate the residents of the communities from their homes, because the fire did not come near residential areas. Large numbers of firefighters were alerted. Fire crews from Be’er Sheva, Rehovot, Ashkelon and Ashdod were on hand, as were large IDF and Jewish National Fund water tankers. In addition, four firefighting planes from the Elad Riven Squadron were called in and assisted in blocking the flames. This is the first time the squadron has seen action in southern Israel. It was established by the government following the catastrophic fire in the Carmel area last December, and is named after the youngest of the 44 people who were killed by the fire. Israel’s largest firefighting drill since the Carmel fire was due to take place Wednesday. However, it was cancelled at the last moment because of a partial strike by the Firefighters’ Union. The drill was to include 200 firefighters and rescue workers, as well as the Riven Squadron.
