On Sunday, wildfires spread rapidly in the Judean Hills, which span across a cluster of suburbs outside of Jerusalem. At least ten communities were evacuated by authorities over the 52-hour battle, and a national security meeting of the Cabinet was cut short when the Prime Minister needed to tend to the engulfing force of nature.
The towns of Ramat Raziel, Bet Meir, Ksalon, and Giv’at Ye’arim were vacated, as the fires threatened to burn down homes and buildings – succeeding in some. A mental hospital in the area was also evacuated. Twelve firefighter planes were immediately called to the scene on Sunday to manage the blaze as the strong winds carried the fire quickly. About 30 national firefighter crews had been called to help, as well as police and military crews. As the fire continued to rage on Monday, Bennett publicly called for international help. Greece has agreed to send planes.
Upon witnessing the fires, one resident in Ramat Raziel said he called the police three times, yet it took about 30 minutes for planes to arrive. “By that point, the community was already on fire, but there were no police officers or firefighters in the area.” About 170 families vacated on their own accord.
As of this writing, more than 20,000 dunams, around 5,000 acres, of the Judean Hills, was burned to the ground. Over 10,000 animals are thought to have been killed. Fire Chief Didi Simhi believes the fire was man-made, and a recent report by a NASA satellite confirms the fire was started at three different points simultaneously, leading authorities to believe it might be arson or negligence.
The fire is the second this month, with another occurring only weeks ago. The fire surpasses what was the worst blaze yet, which took place in the Carmel Forest in 2010.
