Thousands flee port city as focus shifts to other parts of country, including new blaze outside Jerusalem that forced evacuations

Israeli firefighters appear to be gaining control over fierce forest fires that had been threatening Haifa, the country’s third-largest city, and which forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes the day before.

But as some fire crews were removed from the coastal city on Friday, teams continued to fight about a dozen other smaller fires around the country for the fourth day in a row. No deaths have been reported.

The spate of fires – the most serious since a forest fire in 2010 that claimed 42 lives – has come after a period of unusually dry weather and has been fanned by dry winds from the east.

Forest fires in Israel – in pictures Read more

Haifa was the worst hit with several hundred homes affected by the fires and parts of the city – where schools and other institutions remained closed – without electricity.

Firefighting aircraft from Russia, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Croatia and Cyprus were sent to help with the spreading fires. The Palestinian Authority also sent four firefighting crews to Israel.

With the world’s largest firefighting plane due to arrive on Friday – a US 747 capable of carrying over 70 tonnes of water or retardant – the focus moved to other areas, including a new fire outside Jerusalem that forced further evacuations.



Although the risk to Haifa appeared to be lifting, about 60,000 people have yet to return to their homes as police forces and firefighting units were still heavily deployed in the area for fear that the fire could be reignited due to the weather.

Forest and brush fires are not unusual in Israel and in the occupied territories, although the current spate is rare in its intensity and spread.

Though no serious injuries were caused, several dozen people were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation. Hundreds of homes were damaged and in a rare move, Israel on Thursday called up military reservists to join overstretched police and firefighters and made use of an international fleet of firefighting aircraft sent by several countries.

Twelve people have been arrested across Israel on suspicion of arson or incitement to commit arson, with some right and far-right political leaders pointing fingers at the Israeli Arab and Palestinian community, although emergency officials were far more cautious.

After an arrest in the Jerusalem Hills where a fire broke out on Thursday night, Jerusalem police chief Yoram Halevy told Israel’s Army Radio: “We spotted two suspects [near Beit Meir], at least one was arrested. He’s being taken for questioning, but it’s still too early to say whether he started the fire.

“We believe there are arsonists out there, but also weather conditions that allow this to spark [without human aid],” he added.

The fires began three days ago at the Neve Shalom community near Jerusalem where Israelis and Arabs live together. Later, blazes struck the northern Israeli area of Zichron Yaakov and elsewhere near Jerusalem before the largest ones spread across Haifa.