Key roads reopened as Israel confronts wildfires in Jerusalem
Firefighters in Israel have tackled wildfires near Jerusalem for another day, and the police have reported that a number of key roads have now been reopened, France 24 with AFP reported on May 1st.
The fires started on April 30th in the main Jerusalem–Tel Aviv highway, which led the police to close roads and evacuate people from communities around the area.
“Overnight dozens of engineering vehicles started operating throughout the country to form lines to prevent the fire from spreading into other trees,” a military statement reported. It added that “the IAF (air force) continues assisting in the effort to extinguish the fires.”
Driven by scorching heat and powerful gusts, the blazes quickly swept through wooded zones, police stated. They triggered evacuations from no fewer than five areas, according to the Police. Around 50 fire engines were deployed to areas the blaze had reached.
According to the Israeli firefighting service, 163 ground teams and 12 aircrafts were working on tackling the blaze. Magen David Adom, the rescue agency, said it had treated a total of 23 people on April 30th, mainly for burns and for inhaling the smoke from the fires.
The agency confirmed that among the rescued people were two pregnant women and two babies under a year old. Kan, the public broadcaster, also reported that the wildfires injured 17 firefighters.
Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, declared that the wildfires were “part of a climate crisis that we must not ignore,” The Guardian reported on May 1st.
Jerusalem’s fire and rescue chief, Shmulik Friedman, made the severity of the fires clear in his statement. Friedman described the event as “a very large wildfire, maybe the largest there has ever been in this country.” According to Friedman, emergency workers expect to battle the blaze for “a very long time.”
Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s national security minister, suggested that someone might have intentionally started the blazes, but officials have provided no supporting evidence.
French president Emmanuel Macron showed unity with Israel and pledged “material support” in his post on X.
On April 30th the foreign ministry announced firefighting planes would come from Croatia, France, Italy, Romania, and Spain. The ministry’s statement added that aircrafts from those countries will assist the firefighting operation.
But Israel is not the only country to be affected by environmental challenges. Al-Monitor via AFP reported on April 15th, Iraq’s health ministry reported that a severe sandstorm hit central and southern Iraq.
The storm forced airports to close and sent thousands with breathing issues to hospitals. AL24 News via Reuters reported on March 26th that a wildfire in South Korea caused the death of 24 people. The catastrophe forced authorities to evacuate 27,000 individuals.
France 24 with AFP, The Guardian, AL24 News via Reuters, Al-Monitor via AFP
