Dozens of fire-fighting teams are battling a large forest fire that broke out last night near the Jewish community of Neve Shalom, located between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. The residents, about 270 in number, were evacuated. The fire broke out last night and rapidly spread due to strong winds in the area. As of now, the flames have not reached the houses of the community, and no injuries have been reported. According to the firefighters’ commander “The cause of the fire is not yet known, but the difficult weather conditions and terrain have caused it to spread, making it hard for the firefighting teams to contain the flames. Meanwhile, officials said they were concerned that the dry weather conditions, unseasonably warm temperatures and strong winds will cause additional fires to break out.
