A wildfire is reportedly raging out of control near the Christian Arab town of Abu Ghosh, near the western face of the Jerusalem hills. The fire broke out Tuesday afternoon, but quickly blazed out of control due to the high winds in the area.
By mid-afternoon, at least a dozen fire trucks had reached the area to fight the flames, along with six firefighting aircraft.
Abu Ghosh is located along Route 1, on the road between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, close to the Jewish hareidi religious community of Telz Stone, also known as ‘Kiryat Ye’arim,’ where it is believed that the Ark of the Covenant was placed. Abu Ghosh is a small village, friendly to Jews and nationally famous for its secret, special family recipes for hummus. Kosher versions of ‘Abu Ghosh’ hummus are sold by a number of Israeli appetizing manufacturers and stocked in supermarkets across the country.
