The Greater Jerusalem area was put on a state of alert on Wednesday, as major fires broke out in the Eshkol forest and hills to the west of the Israeli capital amid high temperatures and strong winds that are hampering firefighting efforts.

According to the Israel Fire Service, at least five active fire fronts are located in the hills of Jerusalem, with flames threatening residential areas and leading to evacuations of villages and road blockades.

 Significantly, three communities were completely evacuated as a precautionary measure, and the commemoration ceremony at the Latroun military memorial was also suddenly interrupted, which was also evacuated. A similar order was given to the nearby monastery. Police have also been put on standby for possible evacuation of other communities, if necessary, as the fire has started to spread to the south.

The Israel Nature and Parks Authority said it is removing hikers and visitors from protected areas and natural parks in the affected area.

Meanwhile, authorities said at least seven people suffered minor burns from the flames, including two teenagers.

Call for help to foreign countries

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sha’ar addressed his counterparts in Cyprus, Croatia, Italy and Greece on Wednesday afternoon to ask for help in fighting the fires, according to a statement from his office.

The Greek authorities have received the request and are processing it.

And the Palestinian Authority has offered to send firefighting teams to help put out the fires, according to information provided by a security source to the Times of Israel. Israel has yet to respond to the offer.

Benjamin Netanyahu is also constantly updated on developments on the fire fronts.

Severe impact on travel

The fire caused severe disruption to road and rail links across the country. Central Highway 1, which connects Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, was closed, while police urged people to avoid the area.

Four other roads also remain closed. At the same time, the bicycle link Jerusalem-Tel Aviv was also cancelled.

This new fire is the second in a week to force evacuations of residents in west Jerusalem, heightening concerns about the region’s resilience to extreme heat and drought.