The fire erupted around midday in the hills outside Jerusalem, and spread rapidly through pine forests owing to the hot, dry weather and strong winds. Thick smoke darkened the skies over the city, and authorities evacuated several communities as a precautionary measure
A helicopter drops water to help extinguish a forest fire at an olive grove near Latrun Monastery in central Israel on Thursday. Pic/AFP
Several countries have dispatched their firefighting planes to Israel, which is combating a major wildfire for the second consecutive day, news agency AP reported.
The fire erupted around midday in the hills outside Jerusalem, and spread rapidly through pine forests owing to the hot, dry weather and strong winds.
Thick smoke darkened the skies over the city, and authorities evacuated several communities as a precautionary measure.
Numerous Independence Day celebrations were cancelled as security forces were redeployed to assist in firefighting efforts, reported AP.
According to Tal Volvovitch, the spokesperson for Israel’s Fire and Rescue Authority, the wildfire has scorched approximately 20 square kilometres, making it the most severe the country has experienced in a decade.
Remarkably, she noted, it has "miraculously" spared residential structures so far.
20 firefighters sustain injuries; 10 aircraft deployed
The Fire and Rescue Authority has urged citizens to avoid parks and forests and exercise extreme caution when lighting barbecues, particularly as Thursday marks Israel’s Independence Day—typically celebrated with large family gatherings and cookouts in public spaces, reported AP.
The Magen David Adom ambulance services reported that at least 12 individuals were hospitalised on Wednesday, mainly for smoke inhalation. Ten others were treated on-site, while Volvovitch said that 20 firefighters had sustained minor injuries.
Italy, Croatia, Spain, France, Ukraine, and Romania have sent their aircraft to assist, while North Macedonia and Cyprus are deploying water-dropping planes.
As on Thursday morning, 10 firefighting aircraft were operating in the area, with eight more expected to arrive throughout the day, Israeli authorities said.
Meanwhile, several communities in the Jerusalem hills were evacuated on Thursday. Among those allowed to return were three Catholic religious communities who had been forced to flee the previous day.
Farid Jubran, spokesperson for the Latin Patriarchate, confirmed that while there were no injuries and historic churches were unharmed, the communities’ agricultural lands—such as vineyards and olive groves—sustained heavy damage. Some buildings were also damaged.
Expert says climate change key factor for severity of blaze
The main highway linking Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, which had been shut down after the flames advanced, reopened on Thursday. A day earlier, motorists had abandoned their cars to escape the encroaching fire.
By Thursday morning, large expanses of scorched terrain were visible from the reopened road. Burned trees and bushes were coated in pink fire retardant, and smoke hung thick in the air, accompanied by the lingering smell of burning wood.
While wildfires are not uncommon in Israel in summer, fires of this scale so early in the year are rare. Much of the country’s forested areas are man-made rather than naturally occurring.
An organisation which manages these forests said the conditions – low rainfall during winter, unseasonably hot and dry weather, and shifting winds of unusual intensity – were ideal for such a fire to spread.
Anat Gold, director of the central region for the Jewish National Fund (KKL), which oversees forests, tree planting, and land development, said the blaze was largely under control. However, she added that efforts to establish buffer zones and firebreaks were being hampered by persistent flare-ups owing to the unpredictable wind patterns.
She further cited climate change as a key factor in the severity of the blaze and noted that declining rainfall had created ideal conditions for wildfires. "Of course when there's a series of drought years, it's a fertile ground for fires," she said.
The last major forest fire in Israel broke out in 2010 on Mount Carmel in the north. The fire that was doused off after four days, claimed 44 lives, and destroyed approximately 12,000 acres, mostly woodland.
(With AP inputs)
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