Israel’s Fire and Rescue Service chief expressed hope on Tuesday that by the afternoon the fires raging in the Jerusalem area since Sunday will be brought under control.
Commissioner Dedy Simhy told Army Radio that firefighters have determined the location where the fire started in Jerusalem Hills west of the city, but are still examining what caused it.
Area of the Jersualem hills fire
“We understand [it’s] importance and sensitivity,” he said. “We are examining the situation, and when we’ll have answers, we will pass them to those who require them.”
As of Tuesday morning, residents of two communities in the area of the blaze, Kibbutz Tzova and Givat Ye’arim, have still not been allowed back to their homes due to air pollution and ongoing blazes in the area. The fire has also damaged the electricity grid in the area.
The Environmental Protection Ministry reported extreme air pollution levels at Tsova, Givat Ye’arim and at the site of the Eitanim psychiatric hospital on Tuesday morning.
On Monday, Israeli authorities examined the possible help of backup firefighters from overseas, but Simhi said an assessment would be made on Tuesday as to whether they would be necessary. He also noted that on Tuesday, an Israel Air Force Hercules cargo airplane will be put into service to drop flame retardant on the fire.
As of Monday, the fire service said that the fire had burned about 20,000 dunams (5,000 acres) of brushland and forest, about the same area burned by the Carmel Forest fire of 2010, which killed 44 people. The current blaze has damaged a small number of homes but caused no injuries, which Simhi called “a major accomplishment.”
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