A large brush fire near Beit Shemesh has been brought under control, according to the Israel Fire and Rescue Services. The first row of homes in Moshav Ksalon was evacuated as the fire spread. About 30 firefighting crews and six aircraft were deployed. Routes 395 and 375 remain closed to traffic.
A large brush fire that broke out near Moshav Ksalon outside Beit Shemesh Sunday afternoon has been brought under control, the Israel Fire and Rescue Services reported. The first row of homes in Moshav Ksalon was evacuated as the fire spread. About 30 firefighting crews and six aircraft were deployed. Routes 395 and 375 remain closed to traffic.
The Zioneer first reported the fire at 16:46 Jerusalem, when the Fire and Rescue Services declared a 'makat esh' (major fire alert) as the blaze spread. Within minutes, firefighters were working to prevent the flames from reaching the nearby moshav, and residents were evacuated. The situation escalated rapidly, with the initial alert upgraded to a major fire incident.
The fire comes amid a series of brush fires across Israel this summer. As The Zioneer reported on June 3, a fire broke out in the Yehoshua area of Beit Shemesh. Earlier in the season, large fires were reported in the Beit Keshet forest (June 8 and June 28), near Shomshit (July 18), and in Baqa al-Gharbiyye (June 23). Firefighting crews have been operating under challenging conditions due to dry weather.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, and no casualties have been reported. It is not yet clear when Routes 395 and 375 will reopen to traffic.
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