Emergency crews in Israel are battling a wildfire that sent smoke drifting over Jerusalem and forced drivers to run from their cars.
About 5,000 acres (20 square kilometres) have been scorched since the blaze started in the hills outside the city on Wednesday.
The ambulance service said at least 12 people had been treated in hospital, mainly for smoke inhalation, but the fire service said “miraculously” no homes had been damaged.
Ten firefighting planes were dropping fire retardant material on Thursday and authorities said eight more were due to arrive.
The fire is now said to be mostly contained. Pic: Reuters
Spain, Italy, France, Croatia, Ukraine and Romania are among those sending aircraft.
People celebrating Israel‘s independence day on Thursday were advised to be exceptionally careful if holding barbecues and told to avoid forests and parks.
Most official celebrations were cancelled as security forces were diverted to the fire effort.
The blaze is the most significant the country has seen in the past decade, according to Tal Volvovitch, from the fire and rescue authority.
However, an evacuation order for about 12 towns near Jerusalem has been lifted and the main highway linking Jerusalem to Tel Aviv also reopened on Thursday.
A day earlier, drivers had to abandoned their vehicles when flames encroached on the road.
Pic: Reuters
Firefighting is continuing but the blaze has now been mostly contained, said the Jewish National Fund, which manages forests in the country.
It said conditions had been perfect for fires to spread – hot and dry, little rain over winter, and strong, shifting winds.
“Of course when there’s a series of drought years, it’s a fertile ground for fires,” said the fund’s Anat Gold, adding that climate change was the likely cause.
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Israel often gets wildfires in the summer but it’s unusual for them to break out this early in the year.
In 2010, a forest fire burned for four days on Israel’s Mount Carmel, claiming 44 lives and destroying around 12,000 acres.
