Synagogue escapes massive fire at Golan nature reserveI'm relieved to hear it, but I hope this doesn't happen again. Also, I would like to know exactly what "only lightly damaged" means.
The fire, reportedly started by a spark from a tank, consumed some 20,000 dunams of the nature reserve; the antiquities in the park were saved from destruction and only lightly damaged.
By Fadi Eyadat Tags: Israel news Golan Heights (Haaretz)
Large crowds visited the Gamla nature reserve in the Golan Heights on Saturday to see the massive damage caused by a fire that followed an Israel Defense Forces training exercise there last week. The fire, reportedly started by a spark from a tank, consumed some 20,000 dunams (about 5,000 acres ) of the nature reserve. The Israel Nature and Parks Authority called on the public to come to Gamla as an act of "identification" with the site.
Although the charred remains of dozens of animals have been found where the fire raged last week, the antiquities in the park were saved from destruction and only lightly damaged.
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Archaeological remains on the site, including an ancient synagogue and mikveh (ritual Jewish purification bath ) covered with fragile plaster, were spared. The ancient artifacts are in a relatively unaffected location surrounded by blackened terrain. Zeev Margalit, an architect who is the director of the preservation and development division at the Parks Authority, said the antiquities may have been saved because of maintenance and the clearing of undergrowth. He also said the many paths for visitors at the archaeological site might have served as a firewall of sorts to halt the flames' spread.
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Background here.