The weather hit over 100 degrees Fahrenheit in some places in Israel today. With the heat there was also wind, making it a deadly combination for the spread of fires across the country.
Hundreds of Israelis had to be evacuated from their homes as a result with some houses being burnt by the fire. The families in the community of Shavei Shomron in Samaria were not able to return to their homes tonight.
Brush fires burst out across the country, North to South. Five homes in the central Israeli town of Or Yehuda went up in flames. Police have ordered residents out of the neighborhood.
Emergency, rescue forces and firefighters were operating at a number of locations around the country. Police officers had to evacuate residents of Ramat Pinkas and some residents of Or Yehuda. There are no known casualties from the fires, but considerable damage was caused to the property. The Samaria community of Shavei Shomron was totally evacuated and the residents of the first line of houses in Moshav Aderet and the residents of Neve Michael were also evacuated.
The video below is the blaze that raged out of control on the edge of Shavei Shomron community which led to the whole community’s evacuation.
Firefighters have also been deployed to the Check Post Interchange near Haifa to combat a major blaze, which forced road closures in the area.
A total of 15 firefighter teams have been dispatched to the Haifa area, and are operating on three fronts.
One apartment in the Haifa area was reportedly burned in a separate fire.
Authorities say no one was home at the time, and that the fire which damaged the apartment has been contained.
Other fires were reported outside of Modi’in, in central Israel; adjacent to Route 40, near the town of Nehalim, just south of Petah Tikva; near Kfar Aviv in the Ashdod area; near Kfar Yona, east of Netanya, and near Route 444 near Sdeh Hemed and Jaljulya.