(1 May 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
++VIA VIDEO CALL++
++SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY BLACK FRAMES++
++QUALITY AS INCOMING++
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Eshtaol, Israel – 1 May 2025
1. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Anat Gold, director of Israel’s central region for the Jewish National Fund, known by its Hebrew acronym KKL:
“It’s simply a combination of a very dry winter, hot and dry weather, dry soil, a lot of grass, and a very extreme wind regime. That means very, very strong winds, especially winds that change their direction as the fire progresses. So even when we put out one area, as a result of a changing wind regime we find ourselves in changing sites.”
++BLACK FRAMES++
2. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Anat Gold, director of Israel’s central region for the Jewish National Fund, known by its Hebrew acronym KKL:
"Climate change is certainly a very significant component because when we experience years of drought one after another, these are years in which the amount of precipitation is lower than the annual average, and therefore when there is a succession of years of drought, then it is definitely fertile ground for fires."
++BLACK FRAMES++
3. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Anat Gold, director of Israel’s central region for the Jewish National Fund, known by its Hebrew acronym KKL:
“There is some control, there are constant renewals, but right now we are entering the critical time window to find ourselves ending the fire and putting it out. And of course, even when that happens, the ground is still burning. The fire can renew in a second. It will take days to work here, but it will be possible to declare control or, on the contrary, if the wind regime is such that the winds are very, very strong, then we could find ourselves in an event no less dramatic than what happened yesterday.”
++ENDS ON SOUNDBITE++
STORYLINE:
The director of an Israeli organization helping to combat wildfires said on Thursday that dry conditions, fanned by strong winds, quickly whipped up the uncontrollable flames burning through the pine forest.
Crews battled for a second day to eradicate the wildfire that has shut down a major highway linking Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and sent drivers scrambling from their cars.
The fire broke out around midday on Wednesday.
Several communities were evacuated as a precaution as the smoke turned the skies over Jerusalem gray.
The fire has burned about 5,000 acres (20 square kilometers) and is the most significant fire Israel has had in the past decade.
Anat Gold, director of Israel’s central region for the Jewish National Fund, known by its Hebrew acronym KKL, said that climate change also played a key role in exacerbating the fires.
"When there is a succession of years of drought, then it is definitely fertile ground for fires," she added.
The main highway linking Jerusalem to Tel Aviv was opened again on Thursday, a day after the flames had encroached on the road, forcing drivers to abandon their cars and flee in terror.
On Thursday morning, broad swathes of burned areas were visible from the highway, while pink anti-flame retardant dusted the top of burned trees and bushes.
Smoke and the smell of fire hung heavy in the air.
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