Jerusalem, May 1 (EFE).- Seventeen firefighters were injured during efforts to extinguish fires in mountains near Jerusalem that remained out of control Thursday, although police announced that closed roads had been reopened.
In total, 155 firefighting crews continue to work to extinguish the flames, which began Wednesday, the emergency service reported in a statement published by the local press, with aircraft participating in the efforts since sunrise.
“At this time, we have not yet managed to control the fires,” reads the statement released Thursday.
The Israeli police reported that all roads blocked by the fires have been reopened to traffic.
Thousands of people from several towns were evacuated as a result of the massive fire, which raged in the mountains west of Jerusalem, and the highway linking Jerusalem with Tel Aviv was closed to traffic, with dozens of cars trapped and their drivers walking across the road to escape the flames.
Israel has requested international assistance to extinguish the fires, and five countries—Spain, France, Romania, Croatia, Italy, and Ukraine—will send aircraft to help. EFE
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