The massive blaze that erupted in the Jerusalem area on Sunday picked up pace on Monday afternoon after winds picked up speed, forcing the Israel Fire and Rescue Service to mobilize personnel from all over Israel and order the evacuation of another 2,000 people.
Residents of three villages were forced to evacuate on Monday as the fire continued to spread west of Jerusalem, and authorities the fire was approaching a Jerusalem hospital and could force a massive evacuation there as well. First responders were preparing for a rapid evacuation, although no decision was made as of late afternoon Monday.
Three homes were destroyed, the authorities said, in the fire on Monday. This comes less than a day after residents of multiple communities had to evacuate from the Jerusalem area because of the approaching fire.
The fire, which began on Sunday evening, continued to rage overnight and on Monday morning. The hotspots remained active as of Monday morning ultimately became a full-fledged forest fire after winds had picked up on Monday.
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The flames have so far eaten away at over 4,200 acres (6.5 square miles), forcing over 10,000 people to evacuate their homes in almost 10 communities west of Jerusalem, including Beit Meir, Ksalon, Ramat Raziel, Shoresh, Sho'eva, and Givat Ye'arim.
On Monday morning firefighters were optimistic that the worst was behind them, having managed to get enough of the blaze under control to eliminate the immediate threat to homes in the area. But several hours later the area was once again ablaze.
Fire department officials said the fire was being investigated as arson, adding that the flames were fueled by the high temperatures and strong winds in the area.
On Sunday evening, Defense Minister Benny Gantz ordered the military to assist firefighters in battling the blaze. Home Front Command firefighters and search-and-rescue teams, as well Unit 669, the military's elite airborne rescue formation, subsequently deployed to the Jerusalem area. By Monday evening, Israeli authorities said they were looking at calling in help from abroad.
The Home Front Command's situation room was coordinating the joint fire department-police-military effort, the IDF said.
Jerusalem District Fire Commander Nissim Twito and the capital's police chief Doron Turgeman held a situation basement on-site on Monday.
Twito noted that efforts were currently focused on getting the existing hotspots under control and preventing new ones from forming. Turgeman said that overnight, police forces patrolled areas cleared by the fire department to ensure no looting took place in areas where residents were forced to flee the blaze.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett paused Sunday's cabinet meeting when the fire department ordered the mass evacuation of civilians from the area to personally monitor the developments.
Late Sunday night, Bennett arrived at a command and control center set up on-site to oversee the developments.
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