Jerusalem CNN —
Wildfires raging near Jerusalem forced evacuations in several areas and led to several major road closures on Wednesday, as firefighters struggle to contain the flames amid dry conditions and high winds.
Israel is seeking international assistance to fight the fires, as the defense minister says the country is “in a time of national emergency.”
“This is perhaps the largest fire ever in the country,” Jerusalem District Fire Department Commander Shmulik Friedman told reporters on Wednesday afternoon. He warned that winds in excess of 60 miles an hour are expected “in the near future,” dramatically increasing the risk of the fires.
The fire forced authorities to close Route 1, the major road connecting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem on Wednesday – Israel’s Memorial Day.
Videos from social media show people walking along the highway with thick smoke filling the air.
Hours later, emergency workers ran amongst long lines of abandoned cars on the highway, looking for anyone who may still be in their cars, according to a video from United Hatzalah, an emergency response organization.
“We don’t know at this time what caused the fire. We don’t have even a bit of a clue. We are still not dealing with it,” Friedman said. “We are far from control.”
The fire is active on multiple fronts, authorities said, with one area concentrated around the town of Neve Shalom, located about 15 miles west of Jerusalem. In one clip, the flames can be seen next to the road along a packed section of highway.
The Israeli police has said they apprehend a “suspect attempting to ignite fire in open field.”
“Officers from the Jerusalem District arrested a resident of East Jerusalem who was caught in the act of attempting to set fire to a field in the southern part of the city,” Police Spokesperson’s Unit said in a statement on Wednesday.
“A search of the suspect’s belongings uncovered a lighter, cotton wool, and additional flammable materials,” it added saying the suspect is man in his fifties from Umm Tuba, which is a Palestinian Arab neighborhood in East Jerusalem.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar held a marathon of talks with other countries to bring in firefighting aircraft, according to his office, particularly nearby countries in Europe. Three aircraft from Italy and Macedonia will arrive “as soon as possible,” the National Security Council said in a statement.
At least ten communities in the area have been evacuated, authorities said.
“We are in a time of national emergency, and all available forces must be mobilized to save lives and bring the fires under control,” said Defense Minister Israel Katz Wednesday.
There are about 120 teams fighting the fire, Israel’s Fire and Rescue Services said, as well as 12 firefighting aircraft and helicopters.
More than a dozen people have arrived at two separate hospitals as a result of the fire, according to Shamir Medical Center and Kaplan Medical Center.
Meanwhile, Hadassah Medical Center on the outskirts of Jerusalem asked the public not to come to the hospital “unless absolutely necessary.” The hospital has begun evacuating patients who do not need to be hospitalized, even as it prepares to accept new patients who may have suffered injuries in the fires.
The fire is in approximately the same location as a similar blaze last week.
