Firefighters evacuate monks after fire breaks out in Jerusalem

Nine teams attempt to control fire near the Valley of the Cross in Jerusalem; no injuries reported.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Fire in Valley of the Cross Jerusalem (photo credit: Seth J. Frantzman)
Fire in Valley of the Cross Jerusalem
(photo credit: Seth J. Frantzman)
Police and the firefighting teams on Tuesday evacuated a monastery and a neighboring Scouts compound after a fire broke out nearby in the Valley of the Cross and into Gan Sacher in Jerusalem.
Nine firefighting teams attempted to control the fire as witnesses on the scene reported a large amount of smoke billowing across the Jerusalem skyline, enveloping the Knesset building nearby.
Haim Hazaz Street and Rupin Boulevard were closed due to the amount of smoke, police said.
No injuries have been reported.
Last month, Jerusalem was plagued with fires from the forest to an elderly couple's home in the capital.
Seven firefighting teams attempted to extinguish a fire after it broke out on Akiva Street in the Jerusalem Forest area. The area surrounding and extending from the Central Bus Station in Jerusalem was blanketed with smoke for several hours. The teams suspected the fire was started deliberately.
The week prior, firefighters extinguished another fire caused by arson in East Talpiot in Jerusalem.
Six fires raging in the neighborhood were successfully extinguished.
That same week, a fire destroyed a three-story house near Jerusalem. An elderly couple were rescued through the window, Israel Radio reported.