Jerusalem wildfires fully contained, no lives lost

After over 30 hours, the fires that raged across central Israel have been fully contained. Forces will work into the night to completely extinguish the blaze.

The massive wildfire event in the Jerusalem area has been fully contained, Israel Fire and Rescue Brigade announced on Thursday evening, after over 30 hours of nonstop efforts from Israel's firefighters, soldiers, police, and more.

The blaze broke out on Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. Multiple communities were evacuated, major highways were closed, and train service was disrupted as authorities worked to gain control of the blaze.

A strong presence of forces still remains on the ground to carry out final extinguishing operations overnight.

A situational assessment has been scheduled for dawn tomorrow to determine next steps, and forces from Mateh Yehuda Police, KKL-JNF, and the Israel Nature and Parks Authority will remain on alert and in contact with firefighting forces.

The fire consumed an estimated 10,000 dunams (2,470 acres) of natural forest, woodland, and open areas. However, due to the “courage and determination under difficult conditions” of the firefighters, no lives were lost in the event, Fire and Rescue stated.