Jerusalem – Firefighters Battling Blazes Sparked By Lag B’Omer Bonfires, Dozens Of Homes Evacuated

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    Ultra Orthodox Jews watch the smoke as a forest fire is spreading around Jerusalem's residential neighborhood of Ramot, on May 26, 2016. Photo by Yaniv Nadav/Flash90Jerusalem – Various brush fires blazed across Israel as the country was hit by high temperatures on Thursday, as fires in parts of Jerusalem prompted dozens of residents to evacuate their homes.

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    Environmental officials from Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fun (KKL-JNF) estimated that the fire in Jerusalem broke out at two locations in the Ramot Forest and the Cedar Valley. The fire then spread to toward the residential areas of Ramot, Gilo and Mevasseret Zion.

    The fire was thought to have been sparked by remnants of bonfires that were lit Wednesday night to mark the eve of the Jewish holiday of Lag B’Omer.

    Residents in parts of northern east Jerusalem’s Ramot area were asked to evacuate their homes due to high winds, as firefighters feared the fire could rapidly spread to residential areas. Residents of two buildings in the south-western east Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo were also evacuated as the flames encroached. Fire and rescue forces also evacuated the first line of houses closest to the blaze in northern Jerusalem’s Mevasseret Zion.

    Eighteen fire-fighting and rescue teams and four water-dropping air teams were attempting to control the blazes in the capital.

    No injuries had been reported thus far.

    In addition, weather conditions caused bush fires to break out in the South, in areas near Ashdod, Asheklon and Kiryat Gat including, Moshav Givati, Yanon, Merkaz Shapira, Be’er Tuvia Sde Uzia and Timorim.
    Fire fighters work to put out a fire that is spreading in the woods around Jerusalem's residential neighborhood of Ramot, on May 26, 2016. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90
    Fire fighters work to put out a fire that is spreading in the woods around Jerusalem's residential neighborhood of Ramot, on May 26, 2016. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90
    Fire fighters work to put out a fire that is spreading in the woods around Jerusalem's residential neighborhood of Ramot, on May 26, 2016. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90
    Fire fighters put out a fire in a the forest named after Yaakov Don, who was murdered in a terror attack, near the Jewish settlement of Alon Shvut, in Gush Etzion, on May 26, 2016. Photo by Gershon Elinson/Flash90


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    7 years ago

    There is no makor in judiasm for any of this craziness. In fact the whole lag bamor thing is nuts. In Europe noone ever had any time of fire on Lag Bamor. The only place that ever had anythng was at Merion by the rashbi. Every where else its made up and has nothing to do with judiasm, Its unfortunate the Judiasm became about who can provide more camp activities to its base.

    kenyaninwhitehouse
    kenyaninwhitehouse
    7 years ago

    I suspect Arabs lit it.