Israel calls for international assistance to tackle raging Jerusalem fires
Independence Day torch-lighting ceremony at Mount Herzl cancelled
Israel is appealing for international support to help control fires that have broken out on Route 1, the main road connecting Tel Aviv with Jerusalem.
More than one hundred fire crews mobilised after the outbreak on Wednesday morning in the Jerusalem Hills area, which has rapidly spread with drivers abandoning their vehicles and fleeing on foot.
Greece, Italy, and Croatia are mobilising and sending aerial reinforcements.
Israeli defense minister Israel Katz has called on Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir to deploy the military, saying in a statement: “We are in a national emergency and we have to concentrate all available forces to save lives and take control of the flames.”
A “Red Torch” order, the highest level of alert in the fire service, has been declared and due to the intensity of the fire and the direction of the wind, the police have evacuated residents from the communities of Neve Shalom, Beko, Taoz and Nachshon, as well as a neighborhood in Beit Shemesh, the Latrun complex, Canada Park and the Hastkan Monastery.
Ynet reports that 12 people have been slightly injured from smoke inhalation.
The area’s Highway 1 is now closed to traffic with authorities calling the fire there “rampant” and posing a real danger to the public.
Nine people were rescued from vehicles there after being caught in heavy smoke, and footage shows drivers abandoning their vehicles from the flames. Several empty vehicles are burning at the scene.
For the first time in 77 years, Israeli local councils have Independence Day celebrations and torch-lighting events.
Writing on Twitter/X, Israel’s President Isaac Herzog said: “I express my full support for the firefighters and rescue teams standing guard over our country and working alongside the IDF, local authorities, and all relevant agencies in a broad effort to contain the severe and devastating fires in the Jerusalem area, and ensure the safety of local residents.
“I thank the countries stepping up to assist Israel at this critical time and send strength to those evacuated from their homes. I urge the public to fully cooperate with instructions and act with the utmost responsibility.”
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