Fire service said to suspect negligence, not arson, caused Jerusalem hills wildfire

1 May 2025, 9:06 pm

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A preliminary assessment from the Fire and Rescue Service indicates that the massive wildfires that raged in the Jerusalem hills for close to 30 hours were caused by negligent hikers, not arson, Hebrew media reports.

According to the reports, the assessment found that a higher-than-average number of hikers had passed through the Mesilat Zion area, where the fire began, in the hours leading up to it.

Channel 13 says, however, that the fire service believes additional fires that broke out later in the day may have been arson attacks.

In response to the reports, the Fire and Rescue Service says it has not yet determined what caused the fires, as the investigation is still in the beginning stages.