Countries send firefighting planes to help Israel combat major wildfire

Several countries have dispatched their firefighting planes to Israel which is combating a major wildfire for the second consecutive day news agency AP reportedThe fire erupted around midday in the hills outside Jerusalem and spread rapidly through pine forests owing to the hot dry weather and strong windsThick smoke darkened the skies over the city and authorities evacuated several communities as a precautionary measureNumerous Independence Day celebrations were cancelled as security forces were redeployed to assist in firefighting efforts reported APAccording to Tal Volvovitch the spokesperson for Israelrsquos Fire and Rescue Authority the wildfire has scorched approximately 20 square kilometres making it the most severe the country has experienced in a decadeRemarkably she noted it has miraculously spared residential structures so far20 firefighters sustain injuries 10 aircraft deployed The Fire and Rescue Authority has urged citizens to avoid parks and forests and exercise extreme caution when lighting barbecues particularly as Thursday marks Israelrsquos Independence Daymdashtypically celebrated with large family gatherings and cookouts in public spaces reported APThe Magen David Adom ambulance services reported that at least 12 individuals were hospitalised on Wednesday mainly for smoke inhalation Ten others were treated onsite while Volvovitch said that 20 firefighters had sustained minor injuriesItaly Croatia Spain France Ukraine and Romania have sent their aircraft to assist while North Macedonia and Cyprus are deploying waterdropping planesAs on Thursday morning 10 firefighting aircraft were operating in the area with eight more expected to arrive throughout the day Israeli authorities saidMeanwhile several communities in the Jerusalem hills were evacuated on Thursday Among those allowed to return were three Catholic religious communities who had been forced to flee the previous dayFarid Jubran spokesperson for the Latin Patriarchate confirmed that while there were no injuries and historic churches were unharmed the communitiesrsquo agricultural landsmdashsuch as vineyards and olive grovesmdashsustained heavy damage Some buildings were also damagedExpert says climate change key factor for severity of blazeThe main highway linking Jerusalem to Tel Aviv which had been shut down after the flames advanced reopened on Thursday A day earlier motorists had abandoned their cars to escape the encroaching fireBy Thursday morning large expanses of scorched terrain were visible from the reopened road Burned trees and bushes were coated in pink fire retardant and smoke hung thick in the air accompanied by the lingering smell of burning woodWhile wildfires are not uncommon in Israel in summer fires of this scale so early in the year are rare Much of the countryrsquos forested areas are manmade rather than naturally occurringAn organisation which manages these forests said the conditions ndash low rainfall during winter unseasonably hot and dry weather and shifting winds of unusual intensity ndash were ideal for such a fire to spreadAnat Gold director of the central region for the Jewish National Fund KKL which oversees forests tree planting and land development said the blaze was largely under control However she added that efforts to establish buffer zones and firebreaks were being hampered by persistent flareups owing to the unpredictable wind patternsShe further cited climate change as a key factor in the severity of the blaze and noted that declining rainfall had created ideal conditions for wildfires Of course when theres a series of drought years its a fertile ground for fires she saidThe last major forest fire in Israel broke out in 2010 on Mount Carmel in the north The fire that was doused off after four days claimed 44 lives and destroyed approximately 12000 acres mostly woodlandWith AP inputsatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params