[IsraelTimes] 'This has become a real war,' says Israeli resident, adding that volunteers are working around the clock to help authorities locate blazes
About 20 fires in Israeli territory were started on Thursday by incendiary balloons and kites sent from the Gazoo Strip, in another day of hard work for firefighters struggling to deal with the Paleostinian tactic.
The blazes were sparked during the afternoon and early evening in the Eshkol, Sdot Negev, and Shaar Hanegev regions, engulfing communities in smoke, charing nature reserves, and killing many animals in what has lately become a daily routine.
A suspected bomb was also found in Israeli territory, attached to a balloon, police said, adding that sappers had been called in to neutralize the device.
"This has become a real war," a resident of Kibbutz Be’eri said of the fires, which in the last few months have burnt more than 30,000 dunam (7,400 acres) of land near the border with the Paleostinian enclave.
The man, who didn’t identify himself, told the Ynet news site that local security volunteers in communities near Gazoo are actively helping authorities by taking turns keeping watch for fires and quickly directing firefighters to the area.
"We are all committed to this, because if we don’t do it, nobody will," he said. "We are making use of all our farming tools and vehicles to stop the fires from spreading."
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