Firefighters bring blaze near Jerusalem-area village under control after several hours

Ein Hemed National Park evacuated as 58 firefighting teams battle to extinguish forest fire

A firefighting plane try to extinguish a large fire near Ein Nakuba, May 11, 2024. (Oren Ben Hakoon/Flash90)
A firefighting plane try to extinguish a large fire near Ein Nakuba, May 11, 2024. (Oren Ben Hakoon/Flash90)

A large forest fire broke out near the Jerusalem-area village of Ein Nakuba on Saturday, resulting in the evacuation of the Ein Hemed National Park as 58 firefighting teams battled the blaze until it was brought under control in the evening.

The firefighting teams and eight fire planes were called to the scene near Ein Nakuba, west of Jerusalem, amid concerns that the fire would spread to the nearby Jerusalem suburb of Mevasseret Zion due to heavy winds in the area, the Fire and Rescue Service said.

Police forces assisted with the evacuation of the Ein Hemed National Park, a nature reserve frequented by tourists and hikers.

The fire was brought under control on Saturday evening, although Fire and Rescue Services said teams would be working throughout the night to extinguish it entirely and ensure that it would not rekindle and begin to spread again.

No casualties or injuries were reported as a result of the fire, and the houses in nearby Ein Nakuba and Ein Hemed were not in any danger.

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