Fires Extinguished in Haifa, Still Burning Elsewhere

Firefighters have extinguished fires in Israel’s third-largest city Haifa which forced tens of thousands of residents to flee their homes. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld reported there were another 14 small wildfires still burning in locations around the country Friday. He said residents of a settlement in a forest near Jerusalem had been evacuated overnight. Five people have been arrested in connection with the fires. They began three days ago at the Neve Shalom community near Jerusalem. Dry winds spread the fire at locations around the outskirts of Jerusalem. The northern limits of the city of Zikhron Ya’akov also saw flames. No victims have been reported there but at least 100 homes have been damaged. National leaders have raised the possibility the fires were started intentionally and constitute acts of terrorism.

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