Fire in Jerusalem hills contained

Five teams of firefighters, two planes battling blaze; Bezeq, Israel Electric assessing damage.

jerusalem forest 298.88 (photo credit: JNF)
jerusalem forest 298.88
(photo credit: JNF)
Firefighters have managed to contain a large blaze raging in the Jerusalem hills since early Sunday morning. Some residents of Motza Illit were evacuated, and officials had been concerned that some homes in Beit Zeit were also in danger. Five teams of firefighters from Beit Shemesh, aided by two airplanes, were called in to battle the blaze. Jerusalem firefighters were also placed on alert. Representatives of Bezeq and Israel Electric were also scrambled to the scene to assess damage to phone and electric wires. In July 2005, over 1,000 dunams of JNF land in the Jerusalem hills were destroyed in a fire that broke out around Nahal Refaim near Yad Kennedy.