Israel managed to contain one of the largest wildfires in the country’s history this week without losing any structures to the blaze — unlike California, which saw tens of thousands of structures destroyed in January.
As Breitbart News reported, the fires burned near Jerusalem and consumed over 5,000 acres. However, firefighters were “miraculously” able to keep the blaze from reaching homes or structures, and no one died.
One engine (pictured above) was lost, and several people suffered injuries that were treated at hospitals.
The conditions in both fires were very similar: high winds, dry conditions, and brush that could easily catch fire. Drivers were evacuated on major roads and often had to abandon their vehicles and run to safety.
However, the outcomes were also very different. A member of the Israeli firefighting team who helped fight the California fires told Breitbart News on Friday that the answer had been “preparation, fuel breaks, and 163 engines with aerial support.”
Firefighters in California had lacked the necessary number of engines, with the Los Angeles Fire Department being told to stand down rather than pre-deploying engines, due to budget cuts.
In both fires, high winds prevented helicopters and airplanes from helping firefighters for at least part of the time, though in Israel the winds were slightly weaker, and some planes were modified to meet the conditions.
Israel also mobilized the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) very quickly to assist firefighters. Some of the difference may also have been due to luck. “In wildfires, you can prepare for the worst and hope for the best,” the Israeli firefighter said.
It is still unclear what caused the Israeli blazes. Three people were arrested on suspicion of arson, but authorities have also said that hikers might have inadvertently started fires on Wednesday.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of Trump 2.0: The Most Dramatic ‘First 100 Days’ in Presidential History, available for Amazon Kindle. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
