Fire official says fires ‘may be Israel’s largest ever’

The Fire and Rescue Service’s Jerusalem District commander says that today’s fires may be the largest in Israel’s history and that firefighters have a long way to go before the blazes are contained.

“We are amidst a very large wildfire, maybe the largest there has ever been in this country,” Shmulik Friedman says during a press conference held in Eshtaol this evening.

“Regarding our activity, it will continue for a very long time. We are far from having control [over the fires],” he says.

He notes that the blazes, which began near Mesilat Zion at around 9:30 a.m., were carried west by strong winds. The fires have since shifted direction eastward.

The senior firefighter warns that winds are expected to pick up this evening and could reach speeds of up to 90-100 kilometers per hour (56-62 mph), which could worsen the spread of the wildfires.

When asked about the underlying causes, Friedman replies: “We do not currently know what caused the fire, we have absolutely no clue, and we are not yet dealing with this.”