Israel police close roads, evacuate residents as fires spread near Jerusalem
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Israeli police on Wednesday closed the main Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway and evacuated residents along the route as brushfires broke out again in an area ravaged by blazes a week ago.
Communities located about 30 kilometres (19 miles) west of Jerusalem were evacuated, Israeli media reported, airing images of firefighting teams battling fierce flames.
Due to the weather conditions, the Israeli minister responsible for arranging national ceremonies, Miri Regev, announced that the main Independence Day event planned for Wednesday evening in Jerualem was cancelled.
High temperatures and strong winds have allowed the fires in wooded areas to spread quickly, prompting evacuations from at least five communities, the police said in a statement.
Emergency services provider Magen David Adom said in a statement that "at this stage, there are no reported casualties."
"Ambulance teams, intensive care units and immediate response vehicles are providing medical support for
firefighting operations
," it added.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who oversees Israel's fire department, said in a statement that he was heading to the affected area, which often sees wildfires at this time of year.
When fires broke out in the same area last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had called for increased measures to douse the flames and said they must be stopped before reaching Jerusalem, which was eventually the case.
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