Plane fighting Jerusalem flame
Photo: AFP
Firefighters continue to subdue Jerusalem brushfire overnight
After more than 50 firefighter crews help control blaze, operation to put out the dangerous fire ongoing.
Even as firefighters controlled the blaze late Wednesday night, the operation to put out the fire that threatened Jerusalem will continue through the night and into Thursday morning. Firefighter and police units are expected to conduct an investigation in the morning to determine the cause of the brushfire.
Firefighters prevented the fire from reaching the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum. Fifteen crews remained on the scene to subdue the fire overnight in hundreds of locations. Three firefighters were injured lightly during the days' operation.
More than 50 firefighting units took part in the ongoing operation. Three people were lightly injured from smoke inhalation, of which one had to be evacuated to the hospital. Fifteen structures were damaged by the flames – five in serious condition and 10 with exterior damages.
Photo: AFP
Firefighters prevented the fire from reaching the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum. Fifteen crews remained on the scene to subdue the fire overnight in hundreds of locations. Three firefighters were injured lightly during the days' operation.
Photo: Dennis Yarushchik
Oded Solan, a 38-year old resident of Kiryat Yuval, returned home Wednesday night to discover his yard had burned. "The roof of the neighboring house burned and the sparks must have flown into my yard," he said.
Photo: AFP
"It scorched everything here. All the greenery was burned. Oddly, my house remained intact. There are gas tanks here which almost burned. Luckily they remained unharmed."
Photo: AFP
Solan and his family will spend the night with relatives. "We packed a bag with clothes for the kids, and we'll be with family tonight. The smell here is unpleasant. We didn't want the kids to be traumatized that their green yard has been scorched."
Photo: Dennis Yarushchik
The brushfire erupted in the afternoon and spread quickly from the wadi to the residential area. Dozens of firefighting crews and IDF personnel turned out to help battle the blaze, including six firefighting planes.
By the evening hours, most of the roadways in the area had reopened and the firefighters had subdued the flames, though their operation will continue into Thursday.
Omri Efraim contributed to this report.
