Hundreds of homes were evacuated early Wednesday, July 17, 2019, as several wildfires broke out across Israel. The fires are reportedly a result of a heatwave affecting most of the country, with temperatures in some cities reaching 50 °C (122 °F).
The first massive fire broke out in the Haifa's Nesher neighborhood, near the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, forcing police to temporarily close Route 2, according to The Jerusalem Post. The school’s security forces sent an evacuation notice to students on campus. Two men suffered light injuries due to inhaling smoke and were treated by MDA personnel on the scene.
A large forest fire forced authorities to evacuate the Aderet and Roglit settlements close to Jerusalem, and the Shavei Shomron settlement in the West Bank. 5 houses caught on fire at the Ramat Pinkas neighborhood in Or Yehuda close to Tel Aviv, the paper added. Police attempted to evacuate residents while firefighters gained control of the flames. Several residents were rescued and treated for wounds at the scene.
Another fire started in a parking lot in Jerusalem, setting 10 cars aflame.
More than 120 residents across the country were treated for heatstroke, dehydration, fainting and exhaustion.
Electricity consumption reached an all-time high during the day, with a record-breaking 13 521 megawatts used throughout the country.
Featured image credit: NASA Aqua/MODIS. Acquired July 17, 2019
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