As the dry, windy late fall weather continues in Israel, fierce fires continue to blaze around the country with buildings threatened this morning in Haifa, Modi'in and at Neve Ilan near Jerusalem. As dozens of firefighters continue intensive efforts to extinguish the flames, aircraft have been called in from around Europe to help.
Yesterday's fire in Nataf near Maaleh Hahamisha in the Jerusalem Hills has strengthened due to powerful winds in the region and is now threatening the village of Neve Ilan, near the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway. Firefighters fear that if the wind changes direction, Neve Ilan could be threatened and the highway - Road 1 - would need to be closed, thus causing traffic chaos. There is also concern that the flames will reach Shaar Hagai with action benig taken to protect the gas station there.
Worst hit today is Haifa where fires are raging, some of them particularly fierce, in six locations around the city. At 9.30 this morning, a new fire broke out in Haifa in open ground near Heletz Street, which is now threatening industrial buildings and vehicles. Earlier another fire broke out in Ashlag street in Haifa Bay, which threatened nearby businesses, but was finally put out several hours later. Other fires broke out near the soccer stadium and on Mount Carmel near Haifa University and in the early afternoon as the fire spread hundreds of homes and schools in the Ahuza, Romema, Ramat Sapir neighborhoods were evacuated. The Denya neighborhood was worst hit and one eye witness said it was as though the whole city was going up in flames. As the afternoon wore on and fires intensified around the city, the Technion was evacuated and the Israel Electric Corp. declared a state of emergency.
A fire also broke out this morning in a field near Modi'in adjacent to Road 443. For more than an hour the highway was closed in the Jerusalem direction near the Shilat junction. The fire threatened the Modi'in Center commercial center and residents in nearby streets were asked to remain in their homes. Many schools and streets in the city were closed as firefights and aircraft fought to contain the flames.
There has also been fires at Kibbutz Harel in the Jerusalem Hills, Umm El Fahm in Wadi Ara and Talmon and Dolev in Samaria.
Firefighting aircraft are arriving in Israel from Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Croatia, Italy and Russia.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on November 24, 2016
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