In Israel, firefighters announce that the fire is under control – Liberation
The fires that raged for two days near Jerusalem were under control Thursday, the Israeli authorities announced while the firefighters continued to fight the last homes after the reopening of the closed roads the day before.
Thousands of inhabitants were evacuated Wednesday in localities in the center of Israel bordering the highway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, where the fire has spread, fueled by high temperatures and strong winds, forcing the police to cut several main axes. They led to the cancellation on Wednesday of ceremonies planned for the National Day of Independence, which celebrates the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, and soldiers were deployed to help the firefighters.
« The fire is under control », SHLOMI HARUSH, a fire department manager on Thursday. “There are only a few homes left. All the teams remain deployed in the affected areas ”, He added, warning that the risk of recovery of fire under the effect of the wind persisted.
« We have probably faces the largest fire in Israel in a decade, » said Wednesday, April 30, at a press briefing on the Israeli firefighter commander, Eyal Caspi. Help from the Hebrew State were on maximum alert after the departure of several devastating fires, mainly west of Jerusalem. After a night of fight against fire, « All the roads have been reopened to traffic » Thursday morning, police said.
Benyamin Netanyahu had warned in the evening that the forest fires could reach Jerusalem. « The west wind can easily push the fire to the districts on the outskirts of (Jerusalem), or even in the city itself », The Israeli Prime Minister said in a video broadcast by his office. « Currently, the priority is to defend Jerusalem », he added, reporting a « National emergency ».
Defense Minister Israel Katz has ordered the army to deploy to control these fires that spread quickly due to the strong winds and high temperatures. Magen David Adom’s emergency services said they had taken care of at least 23 slightly injured, adding that the alert threshold was noted at its maximum level.
French President Emmanuel Macronexpressed the solidarity of France with Israel and proposed « Material support » in the country facing these magnitude fires. Benyamin Netanyahu has in parallel announced the imminent arrival of three planes from Italy and Croatia. The office of his Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gideon Saar, also pointed out the arrival of two planes from Spain, one from France, as well as a support from Romania.
In an area already ravaged by fire a week ago, Israeli police had closed the highway on Wednesday between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and evacuated five municipalities along this road axis.
The flames devoured wooded areas near the road connecting Latroun to Bet Shemesh, where several helicopters were trying to extinguish them. Many drivers trapped on the roads between thick clouds of black smoke had to abandon their vehicle in the middle of the road and flee.
The army said on Thursday that soldiers, supported by aviation, remained deployed in the center of Israel and that « Dozens of vehicles » had been lined up across the country to block the road to fire. She said she sent around fifty fire trucks in the affected areas.
In a press release, the Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvirsuggested that the fires could be of criminal origin. Police said they had arrested a resident of East Jerusalem who had been surprised « Trying to set fire to a field in the south of the city », But no official declaration has established a direct link with fires.
« The police will continue their efforts to apprehend all the people involved in these incendiary terrorist acts », added Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Update Thursday May 1 at 3:42 p.m. with the announcement by firefighters that the fire is under control.
