The fire spread through drought and strong winds. After just under three days, however, you can breathe a sigh of relief in Israel.
Jerusalem – A massive forest fire west of Jerusalem was extinguished after just under three days. This was confirmed on Wednesday morning by a spokesman for the Israeli Minister of Homeland Security, Omer Bar-Lev.
The fire broke out on Sunday and had spread despite the intensive efforts of the fire brigade and the use of fire-fighting planes. According to media reports, this was due to drought and strong winds.
According to the police, thousands of people had to leave their homes. The army supported the evacuation measures with helicopters. Several houses in different towns went up in flames, according to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. At times it was feared that Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem would have to be evacuated.
The Palestinian Authority sent five fire engines. According to its own statements, the army supported the fight against the flames from the air with a large transport aircraft. As the “Times of Israel” reported, around 2000 hectares of forest had already been burned by Tuesday morning.
According to a report by the army broadcaster, the police assume that the fire was caused by humans. However, it does not necessarily have to be intentional arson, but could also have been caused by carelessness. dpa
