The Jerusalem municipality will increase their cooperation with community council representatives during emergencies, the city concluded after a week-long investigation into the response to last Sunday's forest fire near Yad Vashem. The city found that the community councils of Kiryat Yovel and Beit HaKerem were especially effective at evacuating residents and providing services during the emergency, especially at the Tzippori Center, where more than 700 people were attending summer programs. A total of six planes, 25 fire engines, and 140 firefighters and volunteers battled the blaze, which burned 150 dunams over eight hours. Mayor Nir Barkat also praised the cooperation between the city's emergency services, including firefighters, first responders, police, and the air force, for quickly controlling the blaze. Firefighters suspect the fire was started by a man from Beit Zayit who was burning trash in his courtyard. The man was arrested and released to house arrest.
