Fire Chief: We Prevented Whole Communities from Being Destroyed

The forest fires around the city of Jerusalem are now under control. Authorities say that the worst has passed, but the work putting out the fires will continue.

At the moment no injuries have been reported, but two people were missing, but one was found around midnight.

Fire Commissioner Deddi Simchi stated, “We save entire towns from burning down.”
Simchi also stated that then the fire was caused by people, but that at this time they have no knowledge of who started it or why.

In a press conference this evening Sinmchi said, “There is currently no critical danger to localities. There are still houses and chicken coops caught here and there, and the forces are putting them [the fires] out.”

He added, “To my delight, we managed to prevent entire communities from burning down. We are here day and night to prevent the fire from spreading.”

Jerusalem District Police Chief Superintendent Doron Turgeman added, “currently there are two main challenges – completing fire control, and quickly returning residents to their homes after assessing the state of the environment and hazards.”

There is no word yet on when people who evacuated their homes will be able to return. Authorities say that such decisions will not be made until later tonight.