The wave of fires on November 22-26, 2016 throughout Israel – 1,773 in number – resulting from extreme weather conditions (heat, aridness, and winds), should direct the attention of the public and the decision makers to the risks of natural disasters in general, and those caused by large scale fires in open areas in particular (in contrast to house fires). This is a growing phenomenon caused by accelerated global climate change. Figures from the Israel Fire and Rescue Commission show that there were over 28,000 fires in open areas in 2014 and in 2015. Nine people were killed in fires in 2015; 17 in 2014; 18 in 2013; and 23 in 2012. The average annual number of deaths from fire in Israel is low on an international scale: 0.11 fatalities per 100,000 residents (compared with 1.4 in Greece, 1.2 in the United States, and 0.5 in the Netherlands).
