Tel Aviv: Israeli firefighting teams have been tackling wildfires near Jerusalem for a second day, with police reporting the reopening of several major roads that had been closed.
Shmulik Friedman, Jerusalem District Fire and Rescue commander said a news conference that the fires were the biggest in recent years and may be the largest in Israel’s history. About 5,000 acres had burned as of Thursday, including about 3,200 acres of forest, according to the Jewish National Fund (KKL), a forestry organization.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that 18 people have been detained on suspicion of arson, according to Israel’s Arutz Sheva media outlet.
Israel’s fire service says more than 150 firefighting teams are still working to extinguish blazes and 12 aircraft were working to contain the flames.
The fires broke out on Wednesday along the main Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway, prompting police to shut the roads and evacuate thousands of residents from nearby areas.
Rescue agency Magen David Adom said it treated 23 people on Wednesday, mostly for smoke inhalation and burns.
Seventeen firefighters have also been injured, according to Israel’s public broadcaster Kan.
Crews worked through the night, allowing the reopening of main roads, including the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv route, police said.
“All routes have been reopened to traffic,” according to a police statement.
A national emergency has been declared in Israel as huge fires rapidly spread across the Jerusalem Hills, a mountainous region near the capital.
According to reports and footage circulating online, the blaze has reached army bases nearby Jerusalem.
Israel has requested international assistance, with Greece, Croatia, Italy, and Cyprus deploying firefighting resources.
