Five buildings evacuated as fire rages in central Jerusalem

Emergency services evacuated five buildings in the center of Jerusalem on Saturday as a large brush fire broke out in one of the city’s central parks.

Police said the blaze, which swept through the Valley of the Cross, was under control. There were no reports of injuries and no houses were damaged.

The valley lies just below the Knesset and the Israel Museum and is named for the 11th century Monastery of the Cross, which is located there.

According to tradition, this valley was home to the tree which the Romans used to build Jesus’s cross.

Bird’s-eye view of the Monastery of the Cross, in the Valley of the Cross in Jerusalem. The monastery was built in the 11th century and is currently occupied by monks of the Jerusalem Patriarchate (Nati Shohat/Flash90)

All the buildings that were evacuated were on Sadia Gaon Street to the east of the valley in the upscale Rehavia neighborhood. Poilce said the measure was necessitated by the heavy smoke in the area.

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