Israel put out massive Jerusalem wildfire after 30 hours; 20,000 dunams of land burned

By Said Amori and Rania Abu Shamala

JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL (AA) - Israel announced on Thursday that the massive wildfire that erupted in the Jerusalem area had been brought under control after nearly 30 hours of burning and destroying approximately 20,000 dunams (nearly 5,000 acres).

Israel's Fire and Rescue Authority declared Thursday evening "full control over the massive fire that erupted in the Jerusalem Hills on Wednesday," according to Israel's public broadcaster KAN and Channel 12.

According to the state broadcaster, the fires ravaged around 20,000 dunams of land in the area.

It stated that a special investigation team has been formed to determine the cause of the fire. ​​​​​​​

Thousands of residents from several towns were evacuated since Wednesday as a result of the wildfires, which raged between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, with dozens of cars trapped and drivers walking across the road to escape the flames.