Translated with AI
On April 30, Jerusalem found itself at the center of large forest fires that engulfed several areas of the city, TASS reports.
The fire threat began with a fire in the Eshtaol forest near Jerusalem. High temperatures and strong winds contributed to the rapid spread of the fire. As a result of the fire, 10 communities were evacuated and traffic was suspended on a section of the highway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Many motorists who found themselves in the path of the fire were forced to abandon their cars and flee. Four vehicles caught fire as a result of the incident.
A total of 105 fire brigades were deployed to fight the fire, and 12 aircraft were in the air. The Israeli army also joined in the firefighting efforts. IDF Commander-in-Chief Eyal Zamir ordered the military to assist in extinguishing the fires. In particular, fire brigades from the Home Front Command and the Air Force were deployed, and military pilots are providing aerial photographs to support the work of firefighters and police.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has asked his counterparts in neighboring countries for help in putting out the fires. Italy and Greece have already sent firefighting planes to support Israeli rescue services.
Authorities continue to work to extinguish the fires and monitor the situation.
