Israeli firefighters are battling wildfires that have been raging near Jerusalem for two days.
Emergency services have described the wildfires as some of the “largest ever” in the country’s history.
The fires broke out on Wednesday along the main highway connecting Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and spread quickly due to the heat and strong winds. Hundreds were forced to evacuate their homes.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared a national emergency over the situation.
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RT reports: The key highway and several other roads in the area were shut down, with people in at least ten communities forced to evacuate from what witnesses described as “walls of flame.”
More than 160 firefighting teams and 12 aircraft were deployed to contain the wildfires.
On Wednesday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “we are now in a national emergency, not just a local one,” adding that “defending Jerusalem” was a priority.
Firefighters worked through the night, unblocking the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway and allowing residents in several settlements to return to their homes on Thursday. However, the fire service acknowledged in a statement that “at this stage we still have not gained control” of the conflagration.
According to the local media, at least 12 civilians and 17 firefighters, including two pregnant women, have been hospitalized due to smoke inhalation and burns.
About 5,000 acres had burned out as of Thursday, including about 3,200 acres of forest. Canada Park, outside the city of Modi’in, has been the most affected, according to the forestry organization Jewish National Fund.