Firefighters keep massive Jerusalem blaze at bay

Firefighters in Jerusalem were battling to save ancient villages from a huge bushfire that threatened homes in Ein Karem and Kiryat Yovel on Wednesday.

Hundreds of residents were evacuated and hospitals took in displaced families temporarily as six planes, two helicopters and dozens of firefighting units from across the country all tried to contain the blaze.

It was only in the evening, after it had damaged several homes, that they managed to bring the fire under control and avoid further destruction.

Israel police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the fire had raged over about 15 acres in the southwest of Jerusalem, and that transport links had been temporarily closed between Denmark Square and Mount Herzl.

Photo credit: Alon Basson/MOD/Israel