September 11, 2026 Jerusalem Area Fire Shuts Down Highway 1
A massive fire in the vicinity of Neve Ilan, Maaleh HaChamisha, Har Adar and Nataf has closed Jerusalem's Highway 1 in both directions, on Wednesday afternoon.
The first row of houses in Maaleh HaChamisha has been evacuated. 10 fire fighting planes and over 150 firefighters are battling the flames. No injuries are reported.
There have been a series of major forest fires near Jerusalem over the past week, including a major fire on Friday near Tzur Hadassah, and another major fire near Bat Ayin in Gush Etzion on Sunday. The fire department is investigating the possibility that the forest fires might be arson.
