וַיַּעַזְבוּ־שָׁ֖ם אֶת־אֱלֹֽהֵיהֶ֑ם וַיֹּ֣אמֶר דָּוִ֔יד וַיִּשָּׂרְפ֖וּ בָּאֵֽשׁ׃ (פ)
And they left their gods there; and David gave commandment, and they were burned with fire.
Mishnah Rosh Hashanah
Originally they used to light torches [to signal that the new month had been decreed]. When the Samaritans disrupted this, they decreed that messengers should go out.