Jerusalem wildfires rage for second day, but main highway reopens
Israeli firefighters were battling wildfires around Jerusalem for a second day on Thursday.
Crews are still working at six major fire sites, the Fire and Rescue Authority said, adding that at least 17 firefighters have been injured and required medical treatment. Large areas of land near Jerusalem have burned, charring fields and forests around the city.
Firefighting planes from Cyprus, Italy and Croatia have been dispatched to assist the efforts.
Conditions have improved in some areas, allowing roads previously closed due to thick smoke - including the main highway between TelAviv and Jerusalem - to reopen.
Train services to and from Jerusalem have resumed, according to the Israeli railway company, and some residents of affected areas have been allowed to return to their homes.
The Ynet news site reported that over 100 cars abandoned during the chaos on Wednesday have been towed away.
Videos showed people fleeing from their cars on the road, leaving their vehicles behind.
The cause of the fires remains unclear.
Jerusalem's district fire department commander Shmulik Friedman called the set of fires"perhaps the largest" in the country's history.
After a heatwave, temperatures have dropped, but strong winds are expected later Thursday, raising fears of renewed flare-ups,according to the Israeli weather service.
Israel has experienced deadly wildfires in the past, including a 2010 blaze in the northern Carmel mountain range that killed more than 40 people.
Fires are common in forests around Jerusalem.
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