The Fire and Rescue Authority issued an order banning the ignition of fires in open areas for 10 days due to extreme weather, the authority said on Thursday.
“It is important to note that the weather in the coming days is expected to be hot and dry, with conditions that increase the likelihood of fires, especially in open areas, forests, and groves,” the statement read.
“No fires should be ignited in open areas, including technical work that creates sparks or open flames in open spaces, as well as the burning of plants and vegetation.”
Ban issued a week after the wildfires in Jerusalem
The Fire and Rescue Authority statement comes just over a week after the major fires that broke out in the Judean Hills, which are thought to have burned through approximately 2,000 hectares and resulted in Highway 1 in Jerusalem being closed to traffic.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar made an appeal for international assistance from Greece, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, and Bulgaria.
State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman sent a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, emphasizing the urgent need to address shortcomings in Israel’s firefighting system in preparing for emergencies.
This request is particularly critical given the expected heat wave and the upcoming Lag Ba’omer holiday next week.
In his letter, Englman stated that during last week’s fire, “we were on the brink of a disaster with dozens of casualties, which could have been more severe than the 2010 Carmel fire.”
He based this assessment on preliminary reports of the firefighting system’s handling of the situation, which included the rescue of more than 100 vehicles and buses on Highway 1. Englman stressed that this “near disaster” should be analyzed and treated as if it had already occurred.
Eli Beer, president of United Hatzalah, told The Media Line that he believes the major fires to be “a terror attack on Israel.” Several individuals from east Jerusalem have been arrested by Israeli police on suspicion of attempting to ignite fires in the area.
Last week’s fires in Jerusalem have made the Israeli capital’s air quality among the worst in the world, according to IQAir.
A few days later, a fire broke out on Saturday afternoon in the Modi’in forest, with five firefighting teams being called to the scene.
Felice Freidson/The Media Line and Leah Schwartz/The Media Line contributed to this report.