Firefighters subdue large blazes near Jerusalem
Residents of Romema advised to keep windows shut even after flames extinguished; fires still rage in other areas
Stuart Winer is a breaking news editor at The Times of Israel.
Firefighting teams have gained control over fires that raged around Jerusalem Thursday afternoon, police said.
After evacuating residents of several neighborhoods from their home, police gave the all clear to return.
An enormous forest fire, fanned by high winds, swept toward the area near the Ramot and Romema neighborhoods and the adjacent town of Mevasseret Zion, west of the city. Other blazes raged in the Gilo neighborhood in the city’s southeast and near the town of Abu Ghosh,
The Environmental Protection Ministry urged residents near the sites of Romema fire to keep their windows closed and use air conditioning.
There were no injuries reported.
The Romema fire was said to be spreading toward the direction of Lifta, an abandoned Arab village right by the western exit of the city.
A video posted by Channel 2 showed the blaze in Mevasseret Zion.
השריפה בירושלים: החל פינוי תושבים גם במבשרת ציון. משדר המיוחד >> https://t.co/CJ1hXvYaU5 pic.twitter.com/9q3XX2LroQ
— החדשות – N12 (@N12News) May 26, 2016
In a message from the local administration center, residents of buildings on Hahoresh Street in Ramot and several adjoining roads that face the location of the fire were asked to leave their homes and lock the doors and windows.
Amir’s Ranch, a local horseback riding center located next to the neighborhood, was also evacuated.
The Jewish National Fund said it believed the flames were caused by a bonfire. Wednesday night marked the onset of the festival of Lag B’Omer, which is celebrated with bonfires across the country.
The Israel Electric Corporation said it would shut down the high-voltage power lines supplying electricity to north Jerusalem because of the flames. It was not clear if the move would interrupt the power supply to other areas of the capital.
Israel’s 9/11 monument, located on the slopes of a hill outside Ramot, was caught in the path of the fire and was likely to be damaged, said JNF, which wardens the forests, according to the Ynet website.
Other fires were reported in the south of the country.
Crews fought a series of brush fires near the town of Kiryat Malachi, southeast of Tel Aviv, with the help of helicopter, police said.
It was not immediately clear if any homes were threatened by the fires.
Meanwhile, the Ashdod fire station tackled a bush fire at Moshav Azrikam, while firefighters from the Ashkelon and Kiryat Gat stations were called out to deal with blazes at Moshav Ahuzim and Moshav Shalva.
In northern Israel, fires broke out on Mount Meron, where the burial site of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai is located. The shrine is visited by tens of thousands of Israelis on Lag B’Omer.
Fires were also reported near Karmiel, in Israel’s north.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
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