Police investigating if latest Hebrew U fire sparked by firebomb
Student dorms evacuated but no injuries reported; fifth blaze at Mt. Scopus campus this month
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Police on Saturday launched an investigation into whether a Friday night fire near Jerusalem’s main Hebrew University campus was sparked by arsonists or a firebomb attack.
Four firefighting teams battled the late night blaze after evacuating the student dorms at the Mount Scopus campus.
No injuries or major damage were reported in the incident.
The fire comes on the heels of several firebombing attacks targeting the Mount Scopus area recently.
Earlier this month, police said a blaze outside the university was the result of a firebomb hurled at the campus gates. Authorities released footage showing a male figure disappearing for a few moments into some bushes before fleeing in the direction of the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Issawiya. Police at the time said the May 14 blaze was the fourth such incident in two days in the Mount Scopus area.
Over the weekend, firefighters worked to contain a number of forest fires raging across the country.
On Friday, some 10 firefighting teams struggled to put out a fire raging outside Yavne, while a fire near the Galilee moshav Nativ Hashayra prompted the closure of highway 70 for several hours.
According to reports, on Saturday afternoon firefighters were battling fires in the central city of Pardes Hannah, in Jerusalem’s southern neighborhood of Gilo and the city’s Peace Forest.
The Times of Israel Community.