Firefighters from 25 stations were scrambled to battle a massive wildfire that broke out Friday morning between Modi'in Illit and Kfar Oranim.
Police reported that all residents of Kfar Oranim were being evacuated, and a few homes had caught fire. A squadron of four firefighting aircraft were also trying to douse the flames from the air.
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The fire, fueled by unusually hot, dry weather, was spreading toward Kfar Ruth and Lapid, and four teams of firefighters were deployed near those communities to prevent it from reaching the homes.
Watch: the fire near Moshav Margaliot
Video: Lilach Shoval
The cause of the fire was under investigation, and officials were looking into a possible link between it and fires that were set overnight Thursday during riots and clashes between residents of Modi'in Illit and police forces who were trying to break up gatherings held against COVID public health regulations.
A total of 13 rioters were arrested, and many others were fined.
Firefighters from the Modi'in Illit station worked all night to put fires set by young protesters, while being pelted with rockets, bottles, and various other objects.
Also on Friday, a natural wildfire broke out in the village Umm al Kutuf in Wadi Ara. Firefighters and police were working to evacuate local residents, and firefighting aircraft were deployed.
At the end of an emergency meeting to assess the situation, Deputy Commander of the Menashe District Chief Supt. Rami Raz said, "This is a fire that originated in the local brush. Right now it is not under control, and we have started evacuating homes in the village. The police is asking the public to follow instructions and traffic changes, which are being shared via the media."
Other fires were reported in northern Israel in the Churchill Forest in Nof Hagalil and near the Eilut-Zippori intersection. Firefighting teams were battling those blazes, as well as a fifth that began near Moshav Margaliot on the northern border.
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