An intense heatwave and strong winds in Israel on Wednesday led to multiple wildfires breaking out, with two major fires erupting near Highway 6 and near the moshav of Tarum, near Beit Shemesh. Af firefighting teams battled the flames, police stopped traffic on parts of Highway 6 after a large fire broke out between the yishuvim of Petachya and Pedaya. Train services in the area were also halted as the fire approached the train tracks. Some drivers were forced to flee their vehicles to escape the fire. A police vehicle caught fire, but Baruch Hashem, there were no casualties. The police evacuated residents of Pedaya and are preparing to evacuate additional yishuvim. Later, the fire also spread in the Kfar Menachem area near Kiryat Malachi, and train traffic was also stopped between Lod and Be’er Sheva. At the same time, a serious forest fire also developed at the entrance to Moshav Tarum, north of Beit Shemesh. Security forces began evacuating the yishuv of Eshtaol, and Highway 44 was blocked. Dozens of firefighting teams are fighting the flames in multiple arenas. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)