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After nearly 24 hours of battling the flames and evacuating residents, firefighting forces finally gained full control Thursday over the massive wildfire that broke a day earlier in the Jerusalem Hills.
The fire spread rapidly and threatened several communities, including the moshav of Mesilat Zion. It scorched large areas of forest and harmed wildlife. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the blaze.
Large firefighting teams—assisted by police helicopters, emergency response units, KKL-JNF workers, volunteers, and residents—worked through the night to contain the flames. An Israeli Air Force “Shimshon” aircraft conducted several operational sorties, dropping fire retardants under the fire service’s direction.
Dozens of families, including infants from daycare centers, were evacuated from their homes during the event.
Naama Elia, a resident of Mesilat Zion, said, “We returned this morning—it's just a shock. We got out of there by a miracle.”
She praised the local council head, Or Eliyahu. “He literally saved the moshav—both lives and property. Half an hour before the regional council gave an evacuation order, he issued one himself,” she recalled. “He saw the flames and said he was evacuating—despite being told to wait. He drove to the preschools, evacuated children in his own car, and we sent out an evacuation alert at the same time. It was truly a miracle. The fire surrounded the moshav from all directions—there was nowhere to run. His quick thinking was incredible.”
Naama added, “I usually work from home, but yesterday I happened to be in the office. They evacuated all the babies from the daycare centers without shoes. Residents really came together—people opened their cars and collected dogs and cats from homes, driving around the moshav to rescue animals. It was an amazing display of solidarity. Everyone got out safely, and no homes were damaged. I want to thank the firefighters, the local rapid response team, and our emergency and resilience team. My house was moments away from catching fire—firefighters stood in a line and stopped the flames. It was unreal. The fire stopped just around the houses.”
She continued, “Now I’m living in what looks like the ‘Black Forest’ outside my window. Since it happened on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, there was no food available, but residents from nearby communities opened their homes and cooked for us. The people of Tal Shahar prepared dinner and brought it to our moshav and the volunteers.”
She noted that, “It’s a constant worry living in the forest. There hasn’t been proper forest management in years. There were warnings, and everyone knew this was something that needed attention—like creating buffer zones—but the funding wasn’t allocated. We’ll rehabilitate the forests; KKL-JNF teams were already here this morning. It seems like everyone is doing their part. The response was exceptional. We need to learn from this and map out at-risk communities. We have no one to rely on but ourselves.”
Another Mesilat Zion resident, Sapir Ohana, said she and her family had not yet returned home. “We have two young children, one is a month old and the other is three. My partner went to check on our house. Firefighting planes are still flying over the moshav, and I was told there are still some active hotspots in the forest. Residents who returned yesterday said there’s a strong smell of smoke throughout the community, and they couldn’t stay the night. So we’re not going back yet—we don’t want to take the risk.” She added, “No one has told us whether any homes burned down. I’ve mostly heard about yards that caught fire.”
Sharon Sharabi, a resident of nearby Moshav Eshtaol, returned home Wednesday night. “We spent the entire day outside. When we got back to the moshav, the smell of smoke was intense. We woke up this morning and were told the fire is under control. We’ve returned to our normal routine—temperatures have dropped and it’s more pleasant today, not like the heatwave yesterday,” he said. “A friend who works for KKL-JNF told us they achieved full control. There are still a few small hotspots, but nothing serious. As far as I know, everyone in the moshav is back home, and I haven’t heard of any houses that burned down.”
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Fire and environmental protection officials began damage assessments Thursday morning and continued to investigate the fire’s origin. Fire crews are still working on extinguishing lingering hotspots that pose a risk. The fire service emphasized that only the swift action of all emergency forces prevented a much greater disaster.
The Jewish National Fund (JNF) announced that, due to the fire, hikers should avoid forests and open areas within the following boundaries: between the communities of Taoz and Tarum to the east, Beit Meir to the west, and Highway 1 to the north. The area has been closed to the public until further notice, for safety reasons and to allow emergency crews to operate without interference.
Anat Gold, director of JNF’s Central Region, said, “JNF staff and foresters have been working since morning alongside firefighting teams to create buffer zones and prevent the fire’s further spread. We ask the public not to enter the area and to follow the guidelines—this is a real danger to human life. The closure is meant to allow emergency forces to work efficiently and safely.”