Massive fire sends dark cloud over Jerusalem, engulfs nearby communities

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A massive wildfire erupted outside Jerusalem, burning down hundreds of acres of forestry and endangering nearby communities. High temperatures and high winds helped the fire spread fast to the west of Israel’s capital.

“This is maybe the biggest fire in the last few years in the Jerusalem hills,” said the Jerusalem District Fire Commander, Nissim Toito.

The fire reached the outskirts of the Eitanim Medical Center, a psychiatric facility in the Jerusalem Hills, and all the patients were evacuated successfully by vehicle, according to Kan radio.

According to Public Security Minister Omer Bar Lev, there are three people from the hospital missing, but this may be due to a counting error, and the matter is under investigation.

A view from Baka of the Beit Meir fire (credit: Shira Silkoff)
Residents of Beit Meir, Ksalon, Ramat Raziel and Givat Ye’arim were evacuated from their homes, some of which caught on fire.

Itzik Shmuli, a former government minister who was among the evacuated people, took to Twitter to share his experience, talking about the things you take with when you have five minutes to pack up the most important things. “It’s at a horrifying moment like this, when a great fire is threatening to destroy and burn the center of your life that you learn to appreciate all the more and hold tight to what you have managed to pack in five minutes: your partner and two wonderful children, three cats and some emotional souvenirs from an entire life,” he wrote.

“Thank you to our firefighters who have been fighting this fire for a few hours, may we get through this safely,” he added.

The spread of the fire in the direction of Beit Meir, Shoresh and Shoeva was halted, but the fire continued to spread toward Tzuba, Ein Kuba, Ein Rafa and Ye’arim.

Three people were treated for smoke inhalation but were not hospitalized.

A view of the smoke of the Beit Meir fire from Modiin (credit: YONAH JEREMY BOB)A view of the smoke of the Beit Meir fire from Modiin (credit: YONAH JEREMY BOB)

Twelve firefighting planes were working in an attempt to stop the spread together with firefighters on the ground.

A view of the Beit Meir fire from Gilo (credit: SETH J. FRANTZMAN) A view of the Beit Meir fire from Gilo (credit: SETH J. FRANTZMAN)

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett cut short a Security Cabinet meeting for consultations on the wildfires in the Jerusalem Hills.

Following the consultations, he called a meeting with Defense Minister Benny Gantz, Public Security Minister Omer Bar Lev, Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked, the chief of police and of fire and rescue services, and others.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz ordered IDF to assist with the efforts to extinguish the fire.



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