Firefighters Return to Put Out Hotspots Near Yerushalayim

Israel is not yet finished with the huge, three-day wildfire that burned on the outskirts of Yerushalayim earlier this week.

Firefighters were back at work on Thursday in some of the same forested areas that were ravaged in previous days, where several hotspots started up again, Kan news reported.

A dozen firefighting teams — including four planes — were helping to extinguish the blazes around Mount Eitan. Another eight fire crews were on the way, the Israel Fire and Rescue Services said.

However, at this point, there was no danger to any homes or property and “the incident is contained,” according to a statement from the fire service.

Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection Ministry said it was lifting its air pollution warning for the area, citing a “substantial improvement” in air quality following this week’s fires, where thick smoke prevailed.

The wildfire destroyed an estimated 6,200 acres of forest outside the capital, surpassing the scale of the Carmel fire in 2010. Officials have said that rehabilitation of the land could take decades.

Authorities are investigating suspicions that the fire was the result of arson.