A suspicious wildfire that began near the Ein Hemed national park
outside of Jerusalem quickly spread in the sweltering heat Sunday
afternoon.
Six firefighting aircraft and at least 21 crews of firefighters have
been required to contend with the inferno, with more being recruited.
The blaze was said to be under control by early evening.
At least two people have been treated for light injuries from smoke
inhalation, and one firefighter has fallen from a ladder.
The blaze has consumed numerous acres of forest land in the hills
surrounding Jerusalem and leading down to Tel Aviv.
It also forced officials to close the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway for
a short time, as the flames neared the road, presenting a danger to
motorists passing by.
It began early in the afternoon, and has continued to spread due to
the dry air and high temperatures, which have hovered around 40
degrees Centigrade (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
A number of residents were evacuated from Ein Hemed as the flames
neared their homes. By the mid-to-late afternoon hours, the fire
began to spread towards the city of Mevasseret Zion. Residents of
that town began to be evacuated as the flames crept towards their
homes as well.
Magen David Adom emergency services in Jerusalem declared a raised
alert level to deal with casualties from the fire, if necessary.
Police and firefighters have opened an investigation into the cause
of the fire.
In the past several weeks, hundreds of fires in the Jerusalem area
were ignited by Arab arsonists, including a very large blaze not far
from the site of the Ein Hemed flames. Several arrests have already
been made in connection with those fires, including two suspects,
ages 17 and 18, residents of the Palestinian Authority village of
Kfar Katna.
