Blaze near Jerusalem largely checked

Benters that have destroyed large parts of Central Israel since Wednesday are largely extinguished, says the country’s fire and rescue authority.

More than 150 teams have fought against the fire, which is listed about 20 square km km (7.7 square kilometers) land in the Latrun area – between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

Israel’s ambulance service said that at least 12 people had been treated for inhaling smoke, but no fatalities were reported. Seventeen firefighters were injured, according to the Israeli broadcaster.

Authorities said that warm and dry conditions, with strong winds, made it more challenging the fires, and a senior official warned that they are flaring up again.

“I have been employed for 24 years and I have experienced many fires,” said Shlomi Harush, a deputy commander of Ayalon Fire Station. “There is no doubt that this is one of the most difficult fires I have seen.”

The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had declared a national emergency situation in response to the fires, and hundreds of people have evacuated their houses, but an evacuation warrant for 12 cities near Jerusalem has now been canceled.

Countries such as France, Italy and Spain had sent aircraft to help with the emergency situation.

The fires led to the cancellation of most official events in honor of the Independence Day of Israel on Thursday, and there was a national ban on illuminating fires for barbecues – a traditional part of the day.

A large highway that connects Jerusalem and Tel Aviv has now been reopened. Videos that were placed online online earlier this week let people leave their cars while flames and smoke pulled over the road.

Israeli authorities have provided conflicting defeats for the cause of the fire.

The Israeli president Isaac Herzog said that the fires were “part of the climate crisis, which should not be ignored”.

Netanyahu blamed the fires of arson poets and said that 18 people had been arrested, but the Israeli police later said that only three suspects were in custody and that they were not associated with the forest fires.