Despite the rising occurrence of wildfires, authorities are not prepared for what may be coming, according to a comprehensive annual report on local governance by the State Comptroller’s Office released on Tuesday.
“Thirty-five thousand wildfires broke out in 2024, yet only nine out of the 81 areas categorized as extremely dangerous were allocated buffer zones in the case of a fire. This points to the government’s failure in preparation; the fires on Independence Day should have raised the alarm. We are one step away from a massive disaster,” said State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman.
Since the last comptroller report on the matter in 2018, Israel has been repeatedly struck by wildfires, many during the hotter months, all while the Israel-Hamas War raged.
After the massive wildfire in April, Englman requested that the government lay out plans to handle such emergency situations. Nearly 2,000 hectares (almost 5,000 acres) of land were charred. Every year, Israelis experience the effects of climate change more and more, as the weather gets more extreme, and not all disasters can be fought off.
In 2022, the government passed a decision to put together a national, multi-year plan to deal with fires and expand the budget for buffer zones – areas around vulnerable spaces or structures where vegetation is managed to reduce the risk of wildfires. The National Security Ministry, which is responsible for actualizing the decision, did not advance it.
From 2020 to 2024, approximately 28,500 fires broke out per year in open areas, like forests, marking just over half (56%) of all the fires for that timespan. There were 33,500 fires in 2024 alone. About 17,400 of them were treated by the Fire and Rescue Authority from January to October 2024 on the northern front, while 735 fires started from military equipment strikes (like missiles).
The comptroller found a massive gap in fire treatment preparations along the northern border throughout the war, as the area was subjected to strikes from Hezbollah, and many rockets and drones fell in open spaces, causing fires. The comptroller also found that there were sites that Fire and Rescue Authority personnel did not even reach and that there was not enough aerial assistance.
There are currently 583 areas that are susceptible to fires, 81 of which are in the highest danger category. Of these 81, only nine were included in the government’s budget for buffer zones.
Drafts for new fire protection regulations were halted by the National Security Ministry
The previous comptroller report on the matter, conducted from September to December 2024, found that drafts for new fire protection regulations that were advanced by the previous National Security Ministry were halted by the current one, headed by Otzma Yehudit chairman Itamar Ben-Gvir, due to a budget deficit.
Three areas were probed in the last report: Haifa, Zichron Ya’acov, and Yokne’am Illit. The comptroller found that the Haifa Municipality did not submit a plan for its two most at-risk neighborhoods, nor for 23 other areas designated to have buffer zones. Zichron Ya’acov prepared a protection plan but did not set deadlines for the buffer zones, while the Yokne’am Illit Municipality did prepare a plan but had not yet submitted it for approval.
After a series of wildfires in 2017, Haifa began to designate buffer zones. The comptroller found that some neighborhoods were covered, but not all, including ones in danger zones. The city has eight neighborhoods that are “caged in,” meaning they have only one incoming and outgoing route despite previous recommendations to expand the routes. When the previous report had been published, there were nine such neighborhoods.
The comptroller also found that the municipality didn’t penalize residents who failed to properly prepare their private lands that fall in buffer zones, nor did Yokne’am Illit. The Zichron Ya’acov Local Council did take action, but it still needs a comprehensive plan.
The previous report found that the Mateh Yehuda Regional Council did nothing to make sure that the towns of Beit Meir and Nataf were following wildfire protection procedures. The new report found that this had been partially remedied, with a budget designation amounting to about NIS 3 million, but that the council did not keep track of the towns’ compliance.
The comptroller further found that the Fire and Rescue Authority did not properly run the required checks on all hoses; instead, it checked only the ones in extreme danger zones.
The report did note, though, that Haifa improved its buffer zone plan dramatically, particularly for the eight caged neighborhoods. The Zichron Ya’acov Local Council also prepared a protection plan.