Israel's fire chief said Tuesday that the massive wildfire that has consumed a large swath of forest west of Jerusalem has been brought under control.
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Fire and Rescue Service Commissioner David Simchi told the media that the three-day battle against the flames, fanned by high temperature and strong winds, required over 204 firefighting teams or 1,500 firefighters who were called up from across the country. A dozen firefighting planes made over 200 sorties, dropping some 190,000 liters of fire retardant.
If a first, an IAF Samson aircraft joined the firefighting efforts and dropped 16,000 liters of water over the area.
This mission is likely to see Hercules planes take part in future efforts to cope with large-scale fires. Unlike firefighting planes, the Samson can fly around the clock when needed, and carry up to 18,000 liters of water – six times the capacity of the average firefighting tanker aircraft.
The fire scorched some 20 square kilometers (8 square miles) of forest, forcing over 10,000 to evacuate their homes in 10 communities just outside Jerusalem.
It was one of the largest wildfires in Israeli history, and environmentalists said it would take years to rehabilitate the area's vegetation and wildlife.
"We have put out the fire almost entirely," the fire chief told Channel 13 News, adding that firefighters would work throughout as long as necessary to ensure the blaze did not reignite.
Simchi said the blaze had been caused by "human actions," but stopped short of saying it was arson. Hot, dry weather and short winters in recent years have left the wooded hills near Jerusalem especially prone to wildfires.
On Monday, Israeli leaders appealed to international allies for help. But by Tuesday, officials said the assistance was no longer needed.
In a rare instance of Israeli-Palestinian cooperation, the Palestinian Authority in the neighboring West Bank sent five trucks and 20 firefighters to assist the Israelis.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz publicly thanked Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
"Mutual care and saving human lives are common interests to us all," he said.
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