B'Tselem report: Crowd Control: Israel's Use of Crowd Control ...

FiresIn launcher-fired canisters, the powdered tear gas must be ignited in order tobe dispersed. This can cause the canister to burst into flames after hitting theground. In the dry conditions prevailing in the West Bank for much of the year,this sometimes leads to fires, particularly when canisters are fired into areascovered with dry vegetation. Similarly, canisters fired into homes can causeindoor fires. B’Tselem has documented dozens of incidents in which the firingof 40mm tear-gas canisters and the firing of tear-gas canisters from a Venomlauncher resulted in fires, some of which spread, destroying olive trees and cropsin villages along the route of the Separation Barrier, and damaging homes.20