Fire service says 9 lightly hurt in blazes; PM warns against ‘fire traps’

A Fire and Rescue Authority spokesman tells The Times of Israel that nine people have been lightly injured as a result of the blazes outside Jerusalem, including seven firefighters and two civilians. Hebrew media reports indicate a Border Police officer was also injured.

Speaking to rescue services in the command center where authorities are overseeing efforts to battle the fires, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recommends speaking with allies like Greece to prepare reserve firefighting forces.

He warns against “fire traps.”

“That is, there are open evacuation routes, and they must not be closed from settlements, and if you are unable to close them and the fire is about to close on a settlement, evacuate the settlement, and of course, not allow entry into fire traps,” he says.

Netanyahu also stresses to firefighters the importance of protecting Jerusalem and its western suburbs.

“Inform people not to come, the public — not to come close, not to enter the range of the fire,” he says. “This is simply a lifesaver.”