2021 Israel Wildfires

Israel's planted forests, Mediterranean woodland, and dry scrubland face recurring seasonal fire risks. The June Jerusalem-area fires spread during hot, dry weather and strong winds, while westerly winds drove the August blaze through planted forests and natural woodland.[7][1]

Two distinct fire threats appeared during 2021. The first involved wildfires spreading under dry and windy conditions, with investigators examining negligence or arson in some cases. The second was the deliberate use of incendiary balloons launched from the Gaza Strip by Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and affiliated terrorist groups.[3] The Gaza-border incidents were separate from the Jerusalem-area wildfires, and the available sources do not establish a common cause.[3][8]

A sustained deliberate fire threat came from incendiary balloons directed at Israeli communities bordering the Gaza Strip. From June 15 through June 18, more than 40 fires burned in and around communities near Gaza. The cited account listed more than 20 fires on June 15, including 15 in the Be'eri Forest, followed by four on June 16, eight on June 17, and at least eight on June 18.[3] Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for launches, while balloon-launching units affiliated with the Popular Resistance Committees and Hamas were also identified.[3]

The attacks extended beyond fire. During one incident, an explosive device attached to a balloon detonated over or near a western Negev community, producing a blast that sent children running from a playground to a nearby shelter.[3]

The balloon campaign continued into summer. On July 25, three brush fires broke out in a small area of the western Negev near Gaza. An Israeli fire inspector determined that all three had been caused by incendiary balloons, while a Gaza balloon-launching unit released videos of launches.[4] On August 6, four fires broke out near the Gaza border—three in the Kissufim Forest and one in the Be'eri Forest—and an Israeli Fire and Rescue Services investigator attributed them to incendiary balloons.[9]

A further wave followed on August 23, when approximately ten fires ignited in fields of dry weeds near Israeli communities bordering Gaza. Southern District fire marshals determined that incendiary balloons had caused them; no casualties or specific property damage were reported.[10]

In June 2021, fires burned forested areas in the Jerusalem Hills and Samaria. The main Jerusalem-area locations included Nataf, Neve Ilan, Abu Ghosh, Ma'aleh HaHamisha, and Tur-Sinai Farm. Residents of Ma'aleh HaHamisha were evacuated, and railway service near Sha'ar HaGai was temporarily interrupted. Fire services reported that approximately 2,650 dunams of woodland burned before the fires were brought under control.[6]

A follow-up report counted approximately 30 open-area fires in the Jerusalem District and placed the burned area at about 2,700 dunams. Twelve firefighting aircraft dropped approximately 267,000 liters of extinguishing material.[6] Small mammals including hedgehogs, rodents, and shrews died, as did reptiles, snakes, and tortoises; birds were also affected during the nesting season.[11]

A separate fire on June 13 near Mevaseret Zion prompted the evacuation of residents closest to the fire line, including residents of the Nof Harim neighborhood, and the temporary closure of eastbound Highway 1 from the Hemed interchange.[7] The fires occurred during hot, dry weather and strong winds. Authorities suspected arson in some of the June incidents, but the cited reports did not establish a conclusive cause.[6]

The largest wildfire near Jerusalem in 2021 began shortly after 15:00 on August 15 near Beit Meir in the Jerusalem Hills.[8] Driven by westerly winds, it spread toward Ramat Raziel, Shoresh, Shoeva, Givat Yearim, and Ksalon, burning planted forests and natural woodland.[1]

Ten communities were evacuated: Tzuba, Givat Yearim, Shoeva, Ramat Raziel, Eitanim, Beit Meir, Shoresh, Ein Rafa, Ein Karem, and Ein Naqquba.[12] One Ynet report counted approximately 3,100 residents evacuated during the first day.[8] Dozens of homes, yards, chicken coops, and agricultural areas were damaged, with structures burning in Ramat Raziel and nearby communities.[1]

As the fire expanded on August 16, authorities prepared for the possible evacuation of Hadassah Hospital at Ein Kerem, although no evacuation order had yet been issued.[13] The Jewish Agency reported that its Kiryat Ye'arim youth village was in an evacuated area and that staff left safely; because the school year had not begun, no children were present. Participants in the Kibbutz Ulpan program in Tzuba were evacuated to Ulpan Etzion in Jerusalem and resumed their Hebrew studies there.[5]

Fire and Rescue Commissioner Dedi Simchi said investigators believed the fire was human-caused but had not determined whether it resulted from deliberate arson or negligence.[8] A review of satellite imagery indicated that the fire appeared to have begun simultaneously at three separated locations—near Beit Meir, near Shoeva, and near Ramat Raziel and Givat Yearim. Fire-service and police investigators increasingly suspected deliberate ignition, partly because one suspected origin point was steep, densely vegetated, and rarely visited, but reporting continued to present arson as an investigative assessment rather than a conclusively established finding.[14]

After approximately 52 hours of firefighting, the Fire and Rescue Commissioner declared full control on August 17.[2] The operation involved 204 firefighting crews, 1,500 firefighters, and 20 firefighting aircraft.[2] Globes reported that the aircraft dropped approximately 190,000 liters of flame retardant.[12] Jewish National Fund workers and volunteers participated alongside fire crews, and Israel deployed a military Super Hercules aircraft for firefighting support for the first time.[15] Twenty Palestinian Civil Defense firefighters also assisted Israeli forces.[16]

Estimates of the burned area varied by the stage and scope of each assessment. Ynet reported approximately 17,000 dunams while the fire was still burning.[1] A Nature and Parks Authority estimate later placed the area burned in the Jerusalem Hills fires of those days at approximately 25,000 dunams, or 6,200 acres.[2] A 2025 forest-management account gave a figure of 15,000 dunams for the August 2021 fire.[17]

Fires continued after the main blaze was extinguished, as heat and light winds produced new flashpoints. Eitanim was partially evacuated again while crews fought additional fires for two hours, and further fires were reported in the Etzion Bloc south of Jerusalem.[18]

One of the most dramatic episodes of the August fire was the emergency evacuation of Eitanim psychiatric hospital, whose sole access road became impassable as the fire approached.[18] The hospital's 156 patients and staff were assembled for evacuation while flames came almost within touching distance of the buildings.[18] Police and fire-service officers entered through the blaze to conduct the operation under extraordinarily dangerous conditions.[18] Chief Superintendent Dvir Tamim described the hospital as filled with smoke and confusion, while Jerusalem-area police commander Kobi Yaakob said some patients resisted or did not understand the forced evacuation.[18]

The successful evacuation was later contrasted with the 2010 Mount Carmel fire, in which a bus carrying personnel toward Damun Prison became trapped after a fallen tree blocked the road, killing 44 people.[18] The Jerusalem Hills fire consumed more acreage than the 2010 event, yet no one was killed.[18] A resident of Beit Meir attributed the survival of the entire moshav to a fortunate change in wind direction.[18]

The August fire caused severe ecological damage in the Jerusalem Hills. The Nature and Parks Authority estimated that thousands of animals from hundreds of species—including reptiles, rodents, insects, and mammals—were killed or injured.[13]

A report published shortly after the fire estimated that hundreds of thousands of animals were affected or killed. It emphasized that the burned area included important natural habitats in the Har HaTayasim Nature Reserve and Judean Hills National Park. Recovery of parts of the Mediterranean woodland ecosystem was expected to take years.[19]

On November 13, 2021, more than 200 fires broke out in open areas across Israel amid hot, dry, dusty conditions and strong easterly winds carrying dust from the deserts of Iraq and Jordan.[20] Hundreds of families were evacuated over the weekend. Six homes in the northern village of Gita were damaged, while residents of Gita, Zeitan, and parts of Yarka were evacuated. Firefighting aircraft conducted approximately 100 sorties and dispersed about 34,500 liters of extinguishing material.[20]

The fires were accompanied by heavy dust storms and severe haze, producing extreme air-pollution levels across the country.[21] Authorities said initial investigations found evidence of arson in some areas, although severe meteorological conditions were also identified as a major factor in the fires' rapid spread.[20]

Emergency responses throughout the year drew on large firefighting forces, aviation assets, military support, and civilian volunteers. During the August Jerusalem Hills fire, the operation mobilized 204 crews, 1,500 firefighters, and 20 aircraft.[2] Israel also used a military Super Hercules in a firefighting role for the first time.[15] After full control was declared, ground crews remained in the area to extinguish smoking points, conduct searches, and monitor for renewed ignition.[12]

The Jewish Agency for Israel offered emergency grants to people whose property was damaged, whose businesses were destroyed, or whose families were displaced by the Judean Hills fires.[5] It also worked with the Matte Yehuda municipality and its Partnership2Gether network to develop a course for volunteer firefighters, intended to support professional crews during emergencies and improve local fire-response capacity.[5]

Israeli fire inspectors attributed the Gaza-border fires to incendiary balloons launched by Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and affiliated terrorist groups. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for some launches, while launching units released videos cited in reporting.[3][4] Witness accounts and an Israeli Fire and Rescue Services investigation were also used to attribute the August 6 fires to balloons launched from Gaza.[9] The cited sources do not establish a connection between these deliberate attacks and the separate Jerusalem Hills wildfires.[3][8]

For the August Jerusalem Hills fire, Commissioner Dedi Simchi initially said the fire was human-caused while distinguishing neither arson nor negligence.[8] Subsequent satellite-image analysis showed three separated ignition areas, and investigators increasingly suspected deliberate arson. The available reporting nevertheless presented that conclusion as an investigative assessment rather than a final adjudication.[14]

Some June Jerusalem-area fires were also investigated as suspected arson, but the cited reporting did not establish a conclusive determination.[6] Burned-area totals for the August fire varied according to when estimates were made and what land was counted: reports cited approximately 17,000 dunams while the fire was active and approximately 25,000 dunams for all Jerusalem Hills fires of the surrounding days.[1][2] A later forest-management account gave a figure of 15,000 dunams for the 2021 fire.[17]