Wildfire: Jerusalem under threat as Netanyahu declares national emergency

The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has warned that rapidly spreading wildfires near Jerusalem could reach the city.

The prime minister also declared the situation a “national emergency”.

Multiple reports said that thick smoke billowed above highways near Jerusalem on Wednesday.

Firefighters rushed to control wildfires that have injured several people and prompted the military to deploy troops to help.

Israel’s Magen David Adom, MDA, rescue agency said that hundreds of civilians were at risk from the worst fires in years.

MDA said it had provided treatment to around 23 people, 13 of whom were taken to hospital, the majority suffering from smoke inhalation and burns.

Among them were two pregnant women and two infants under a year old, it added.

It said the alert level had been raised to the highest tier.

Speaking from near the city of Modiin as fires burnt on a nearby hillside, resident Yuval Aharoni, 40, said: “It’s just very sad because we knew the weather, we kind of knew that would happen and still we feel like they weren’t ready enough with the big planes that can drop large amounts of water.”

Netanyahu warned that “the western wind can push the fire easily towards the outskirts of [Jerusalem] – and even into the city itself.

“We need to bring as many fire engines as possible and create firebreaks well beyond the current fire lines … We are now in a national emergency, not just a local one,” he said in a video statement on Wednesday. “The priority right now is defending Jerusalem,” he added.

Wildfire: Jerusalem under threat as Netanyahu declares national emergency