Third fire this week hits Beit Ein, investigators examine possible link

Fire crews were working Monday morning in the Beit Ein settlement in Gush Etzion after a grocery store and an adjacent storage shed went up in flames. Five firefighting teams from the Judea station were dispatched before dawn on Tuesday after reports of a fire in the compound. When they arrived, they found a heavy fire load and high flames that posed a real threat to nearby buildings.

The crews managed to stop the blaze before it reached the community health clinic building next to the site. Shift commander Reshef Michael Randi said, "We arrived before dawn to a complex scene with a significant fire load in the grocery store and adjacent storage shed. We worked quickly and on several fronts, first to contain the fire and prevent danger to the nearby buildings, especially the community health clinic."

Randi said this was the third fire in the settlement since the start of the week. He warned that, "This series of incidents requires the public, especially in this period, to pay extra attention." Authorities are investigating whether the three recent fires are connected.

The latest blaze comes after a fire broke out in Beit Ein on Sunday and spread to residential buildings and vehicles. More than ten firefighting teams operated there and prevented further damage before extinguishing the fire.