Various nations deploying firefighting aircraft to Israel, aiding efforts against extensive wildfire

In a Neighborly Whirlwind: Israel Faces Off Against Massive Wildfire

Hop on, buckle up, and hold tight — it's going to be a hell of a ride! 🔥

Jerusalem (AP) — A wildfire, provoked by scorching, parched conditions and roaring winds, has been tormenting the emerald hills surrounding Jerusalem since Wednesday afternoon, necessitating a joint international effort to restore order and tame the inferno.

The blazing pyre erupted in the sun-soaked slopes outside Jerusalem, quickly spreading like wildfire, engulfing vast pine forests in its relentless march. Authorities promptly ordered evacuations for several nearby communities as a safety precaution, with the capital engulfed in an ashen pallor as the metropolis clouded over.

Many of the nation's celebrations for Independence Day were scrapped, as security personnel diverted their efforts towards battlefronts rather than parades and barbecues.

By Thursday morning, the conflagration had ravaged roughly 5,000 acres (around 20 square kilometers), earning the distinction of being the most significant fire in Israel over the last decade, according to Tal Volvovitch, a spokesperson for Israel's fire and rescue authority. Despite the staggering scale of destruction, remarkably, not a single home has suffered damage from the inferno's merciless sweep.

In a bid to quell the flames, Israeli authorities urged the public to steer clear of public parks and forests, and to exercise extreme caution when firing up barbecues, which are a common sight on Independence Day.

Looking back on Wednesday, at least 12 folks found themselves hospitalized, typically from smoke inhalation, while another 10 were treated on the spot, reported Magen David Adom Ambulance services. A total of 20 firefighters have sustained minor injuries, Volvovitch revealed.

Critical support from abroad has been pouring in, with Italy, Croatia, Spain, France, Ukraine, and Romania all dispatching aircraft to join the fight against the relentless blaze. Several other countries, such as North Macedonia and Cyprus, have also been sending water-dropping aircraft. By Thursday morning, ten firefighting planes were already in action, with an additional eight aircraft expected to arrive during the day.

The evacuation orders were lifted on Thursday for approximately a dozen towns in the Jerusalem hills, bringing relief to those who were displaced from their homes. Three Catholic religious communities, who were compelled to abandon their properties on Wednesday, were also granted permission to return home on Thursday, according to Farid Jubran of the Latin Patriarchate. While their agricultural lands sustained significant damage (including vineyards and olive trees), and some of the buildings were harmed, miraculously, there were no casualties, and historic churches remained unscathed.

The main road linking Jerusalem to Tel Aviv finally reopened on Thursday, a day after the raging fire had threatened the thoroughfare, causing chaos as drivers were forced to flee their cars in terror. On Thursday morning, the blackened stretches of land were visible from the highway, while the charred, pink remnants of anti-flame retardant clung to the tops of burned trees and shrubs. A thick, fat veil of smoke and the distinct aroma of burning embers continued to linger in the air.

Although wildfires are a yearly summertime phenomenon in Israel, such aggressive fires popping up so early in the year are relatively rare. Much of Israel's forests are cultivated rather than naturally occurring.

One of the organizations that administer Israel's forests distinguished the conditions that allowed the blaze to spread unchecked: a winter with scarce rainfall, hot, dry weather, and ferocious winds that were constantly shifting.

Anat Gold, the director of Israel's central region for the Jewish National Fund (KKL), which manages forests, plants trees, and promotes settlement in the Holy Land, affirmed that the fire had been contained. However, she acknowledged that workers were grappling to create buffer zones and fire breaks, as the same areas ignited repeatedly in the rapidly changing winds.

Climate change, which has resulted in lower rainfall in the region, is said to have amplified the fire's ferocity. "Of course when there's a series of drought years, it's a fertile ground for fires," Gold said.

In 2010, a devastating forest blaze raged for four days on Mount Carmel in northern Israel, resulting in the tragic loss of 44 lives and the destruction of around 12,000 acres, much of it woodland.

Various nations deploying firefighting aircraft to Israel, aiding efforts against extensive wildfire