More than 160 treated as temperatures soar

Sweltering temperatures saw more than 150 Israelis treated Sunday for weather-related conditions by Magen David Adom, the emergency medical service announced.

According to MDA, 164 people received medical attention by evening, including over 80 who fainted, and 14 who suffered from dehydration, a significantly higher number than usual in the summer.

Magen David Adom said it was on “special alert in light of the heat wave.

“In order to avoid fatalities,” it added in a statement, “we urge the public to internalize MDA’s recommendations, and pay special attention to the more vulnerable population, namely, the elderly, children and infants; have more to drink; and remain in shaded and air-conditioned areas.”

The country suffered through a major heatwave Sunday, with temperatures in many areas soaring beyond the 40° Centigrade (104° Fahrenheit) line.

Also on Sunday, hundreds of residents of Jerusalem’s Ein Kerem neighborhood and the nearby Moshav Even Sapir were evacuated from their homes as dozens of firefighters struggled to contain a large brush fire on the outskirts of the capital. At least 30 firefighting teams, along with eight planes, battled the flames in the largely wooded area west of Jerusalem.

Three firefighters were treated for smoke inhalation.

Police temporarily closed Route 1, the main Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway, on Sunday afternoon after the flames neared the highway. The road was later reopened.