Officials say the rehabilitation of the Golan Heights reserve near Moshav Had Ness, which suffered a devastating fire on Saturday, is likely to take years.
Some 494 acres of wild brush and grazing land were turned into cinder by Saturday's blaze.
Deputy Head of the Golan Region at the Nature and Parks Authority Eitan Nissim, said: "Some of the vegetation will only need a year or two to rehabilitate, however the oak trees were severely damaged, and it'll take quite a few years for them to overcome this. Meanwhile we can't forget about the wildlife, including snakes, lizards and turtles that were unable to flee the fire and burnt to death."
Nissim announced that Nature and Parks Authority officials have been patrolling the area to ensure another fire would not erupt. They are also trying to get a better picture of blaze that took over five hours to extinguish.
Consuming wild brush, grazing land (Photo: Avihu Shapira)
When the fire erupted Saturday, nearby roads were closed to traffic due to heavy smoke and police asked hikers to avoid the area. Dozens of visitors were also evacuated from Brichat Hameshushim (The Hexagon Pool), located nearby.
Fifteen fire-fighting units and two fire extinguishing planes were dispatched to the scene and worked to put out the flames.
The fire department believes that the blaze was not caused by negligent hikers, but is looking into the possibility of arson.