Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Monday, August 16, 2021
From the Liveblog of
Monday, August 16, 2021
Top firefighter: Blaze outside Jerusalem is same scale as 2010 Carmel fire
Dedi Simchi, then Israel Fire and Rescue Services chief, attends a press conference on the massive wildfire outside Jerusalem on August 15, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90)
Israel Fire and Rescue Services chief Dedi Simchi says the massive forest fire outside Jerusalem is on the same scale as the 2010 Mount Carmel fire.
“Only a few houses burned without any injuries and I think this is a big achievement,” he tells reporters.
In the 2010 blaze, 44 people were killed.
Simchi also says the fire was caused by the result of human action.
“We don’t know if this was negligence malice or arson but we’ll continue investigating,” he says.
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