BET SHEMESH, Israel: Israeli police evacuated several towns near Jerusalem on Wednesday as rapidly spreading bushfires tore through the area, prompting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to consider appealing to Greece for emergency assistance.
Towns located about 20 kilometers (12 miles) west of Jerusalem were evacuated, police and Israeli media said, while firefighting teams scrambled to contain the advancing blaze.
Speaking from the national fire service headquarters, Netanyahu directed his staff to initiate contact with Greece, and potentially other nations, to request support should international reinforcements become necessary.
“We do not know how this fire will develop,” Netanyahu said, calling for increased measures to douse the flames.
“It simply cannot reach” Jerusalem, he added.
“Of course, defend the communities in range” of the city, he went on, saying he “would prepare reserves from other countries such as Greece.”
Greece battled a spate of deadly wildfires last year, including a massive blaze that forced thousands to flee their homes and reached the suburbs of Athens before it was brought under control.
The fire near Jerusalem ignited Wednesday morning in wooded areas amid an intense heatwave and quickly escalated.
Footage captured by AFP showed emergency aircraft dousing the area with water and fire retardants in an effort to halt the spread.
Wildfires are a recurrent threat in Israel during periods of extreme heat.