'Maybe the Largest Ever': Wildfires disrupt Israeli Independence Day

Tel Aviv [Israel], May 1 (ANI/TPS): The battle against what may be Israel's largest fire entered its second day on Thursday morning, casting a pall over what would have been a festive Independence Day.
"At this stage we still have not gained control of the fires," the Israel Fire and Rescue Service said Thursday morning. Seventeen firefighters have been injured, with two requiring hospitalization.
"We are amidst a very large wildfire, maybe the largest there has ever been in this country," Fire and Rescue Service's Jerusalem District Commander Shmulik Friedman told reporters on Wednesday.
According to fire officials, 142 teams and 10 aircraft are currently deployed in the Jerusalem Hills as of 8:00 AM. The first groups of international firefighters and aircraft from Cyprus and Italy are expected to arrive in the afternoon. They will be joined by crews and planes from Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Greece, Romania, Spain and Ukraine.
The fire, fanned by strong winds and dry weather, has scorched an estimated 19,600 dunams (19.6 sq. kms) according to preliminary figures from Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael - Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF), a quasi-governmental organization that plays a significant role in forestry and environmental conservation.
Authorities say the blaze reignited in the Eshtaol Forest, where 10,000 dunams (10 sq. km) of land were scorched one week ago. Those fires, which lasted more than 21 hours, required more than 110 firefighting teams and eight planes to contain.
Fire officials warned that the coming hours would be critical as dry conditions and strong winds continue to hamper efforts to bring the fire under control.
The communities of Shaar Hagai, Mebilat Zion, Beit Meir, Shoresh, Neve Ilan, Yad Hasmona, Nataf remain evacuated while residents of Eshtaol, Neve Shalom, and Nahshon were permitted to return to their homes.
Jerusalem District Police Chief Eliyahu Levy said that more than 100 vehicles were towed from Highway 1 to Latrun after being abandoned during the emergency.
The fire disrupted Wednesday's Memorial Day observances and Thursday's Independence Day celebrations.
As crews work to extinguish the flames, the Fire and Rescue Service emphasized that national parks and forests in affected areas are closed to the public throughout Independence Day. "Visitors are banned Thursday from national parks and forests in areas where the fires are blazing," it announced. Parks such as Ayalon Canada Park, Ben Shemen Forest, and Britannia Park are among those off-limits.
A nationwide ban on lighting fires and grills is in force, and celebrations requiring the presence of firefighters have been canceled.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Defence Ministry asked Israelis not to visit cemeteries, saying hazardous winds threatened to knock over shade poles, temporary fences and trees.
Authorities were also forced to cancel for the first time Israel's traditional Independence Day torch-lighting ceremony.
"The engineers in charge of safety have made it clear to me that this is a weight of extreme winds with the potential for significant winds that may lead to significant damage to safety and a risk to human life," said Minister of Transport, National Infrastructure and Road Safety Miri Regev, who was in charge of organizing the ceremony.
The nationally televised ceremony at Jerusalem's Mt Herzl Military Cemetery at sundown traditionally marks the transition from Memorial Day to Independence Day. The torch-lighting has been part of Independence Day celebrations since 1949. COVID restrictions forced organizers to pre-record the event without a live audience in 2020. A rehearsal of the ceremony that took place on Monday was aired instead. (ANI/TPS)