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Wildfire in Jerusalem hills sends smoke clouds over city
Israel's Magen David Adom national ambulance service reported no serious injuries, and there appeared to be little danger that the fires, some 10 km (6 miles) west of Jerusalem, would reach the city.
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This picture taken from the Mount of Olives shows a general view of Jerusalem's old city with Dome of the Rock mosque in the foreground and a cloud of smoke rising from a large forest fire in the background on August 15, 2021. Residents of several villages on the outskirts of Jerusalem were evacuated Sunday due to a large forest fire, Israeli police said. Firefighters supported by firefighting aircraft were working to put out the blaze, as smoke was visible from much of the city. The fire threatened the villages of Beit Meir, Shoeva and Ramat Raziel, west of Jerusalem, police said in a statement. (AFP/Ahmad Gharabli)
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ildfires in wooded hills outside Jerusalem sent smoke clouds billowing over the city on Sunday as planes and crews on the ground fought flames that forced the evacuation of several small communities.
Israel's Magen David Adom national ambulance service reported no serious injuries, and there appeared to be little danger that the fires, some 10 km (6 miles) west of Jerusalem, would reach the city.
Dedi Simchi, Israel's fire and rescue commissioner, said 12 firefighting planes were deployed along with crews from some 60 fire engines.
"I am glad to say that we managed to prevent entire communities from being burned," Simchi said in a briefing to Israel's internal security minister broadcast live on television, some five hours after the fire erupted.
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Emergency services said some four villages were evacuated. At the briefing, Simchi said they no longer faced any "critical danger", although "there are some pockets, where homes have caught fire which we are extinguishing".
He said crews would remain deployed throughout the night and possibly over the next few days to prevent the fire from spreading, amid high temperatures and strong winds.
Fire brigade and police officials said it was too early to determine the cause of the fire.
