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Hundreds of Rosh Hashanah visitors were evacuated from a Galilee nature reserve yesterday after a fire swept through the popular northern beauty spot. The fire broke out barely a month after the Tel Dan Nature Reserve reopened following extensive restoration from wartime damage.
The reserve, in the Galilee Panhandle, close to Israel’s borders with Lebanon and Syria, was closed as inspectors from the Israel Nature and Parks Authority evacuated visitors from its trails.
Seven firefighting teams battled the blaze for several hours. They were supported by aircraft from the Elad firefighting squadron; the Nature and Parks Authority; personnel from the Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund; and emergency teams from nearby communities.
By evening, firefighters said the blaze had been contained, although operations were expected to continue overnight as hotspots continued to reignite.
“The fire spread through the reserve’s stream vegetation and due to the winds,” incident commander Gadi Azulai said.
“Thanks to the close co-operation between all the forces in the field, we managed to stop the fire and minimise damage to the nature reserve.”
Tel Dan’s visitor centre, access road and car park reopened in August following a NIS 2.5 million (£600,000) restoration after the site suffered extensive damage during the war with Iran.
The visitor centre was badly damaged by an Iranian missile strike in October 2024, while other infrastructure was affected by fires sparked by missile impacts and the movement of military vehicles.
Despite covering just 119 acres, Tel Dan contains a particularly rich wetland habitat. The Dan is the largest of the three principal sources of the River Jordan, with its springs producing around 238 million cubic metres of water annually.
The reserve also contains significant archaeological remains, including an ancient Canaanite gate dating from the Bronze Age.
The cause of Sunday’s fire has not yet been announced.
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