Five hospitalized due to smoke inhalation from Jerusalem brush fire

Fires broke out at several locations in a forest in southeast Jerusalem, with five nearby residents requiring hospitalization due to smoke inhalation.

The main blaze in the Peace Forest was near the Abu Tor neighborhood.

The blaze approached the neighborhood, but firefighters managed to put it out after several hours, before it reached the first line of Abu Tor homes.

The blaze required six firefighter crews to extinguish, authorities said, adding that it was not yet clear how it was started and that one of the possibilities being examined was arson.

Five residents of the neighborhood were taken to Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center for treatment. The hospital said they were in good condition.

The incident came a day after a fire broke out at a wedding hall in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Isawiya. Nine firefighting teams were called in to control the blaze, which saw part of the roof collapse. The cause of that fire has still not been determined either.