Wildfires that began on Wednesday morning and that have burned more than 5,000 acres in Israel have “miraculously” left homes untouched, according to Israeli firefighting authorities.
As Breitbart News reported on Wednesday, several brush fires broke out in central Israel, near Jerusalem, on Wednesday morning. High winds and dry conditions caused the blazes to spread, prompting evacuations.
Israel mobilized its military to assist its firefighting services, and asked for help from a number of nearby European countries that Israeli first responders have also assisted with natural disasters in the recent past.
As of Thursday afternoon, the fire had burned more than 5,000 acres, making it one of the largest wildfires in Israeli history (though still only about one-fourth of the size of the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles in January, for example).
Israeli authorities noted that despite the extent of the blaze, and the large number of separate fires, there had been no damage to structures. ABC News reported:
The fire has burned about 5,000 acres (20 square kilometers) and is the most significant fire Israel has had in the past decade, according to Tal Volvovitch, a spokesperson for Israel’s fire and rescue authority. She said the fire has “miraculously” not damaged any homes.
Israel’s fire and rescue authority warned the public to stay away from parks or forests, and to be exceptionally careful while lighting barbecues. Thursday is Israel’s Independence Day, which is typically marked with large family cookouts in parks and forests.
At least 12 people were treated in hospitals on Wednesday, mainly due to smoke inhalation, while another 10 people were treated in the field, Magen David Adom Ambulance services said.
Several people have been arrested for arson subsequent to the start of the blazes, though the cause of the initial fires is unclear.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of Trump 2.0: The Most Dramatic ‘First 100 Days’ in Presidential History, available for Amazon Kindle. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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