The wave of wildfires raging across Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories has continued for a fifth consecutive day on Saturday with at least three Jewish settlers suffering serious injuries from smoke inhalation in an apartment building fire in the settlement of Ma’ale Adumim in the West Bank.
Nine others were also reportedly injured in the building fire in the settlement according to different Israeli media outlets.
Other residents were trapped in the apartment building after it caught fire early Saturday morning.
Although fires in Haifa were completely overcome on Friday hundreds of Israelis in Haifa according to Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper are unable to live in their homes because of fire damage.
Police said they had arrested 14 people on suspicion of negligence or deliberately starting fires without providing details on their identities.
Although Jewish settlers are notorious for carrying out arson attacks against Palestinians and their property including olive trees in the West Bank many Palestinian young men were reportedly arrested and accused by the Israeli police with no evidence of causing fires.
Egypt Jordan Turkey the United States France the United Kingdom Greece Cyprus Italy Croatia Russia have sent planes helicopters trucks and ground crews to assist Israeli firefighters and soldiers in extinguishing fires in areas surrounding Beit Shemesh Modi’in and Jerusalem as well as in Haifa Nazareth Hadera Zikhron Ya’akov Umm al-Fahm Lachish Nesher the Etzion settlement bloc and Kfar Vradim.
Fire brigades were also sent by the Palestinian Authority to help in the efforts to control the spread of fires.
The blazes started last Tuesday in Zikhron Ya’akov about 35 kilometers north of the city of Haifa. Authorities ordered the evacuation of 60000 people in Haifa. Fires broke out the following day in Modi’in in central Israel.
