Ankara: Israel announced Thursday that a massive wildfire that erupted in the Jerusalem area had been brought under control after nearly 30 hours and the destruction of 20,000 dunams (4,942 acres).

According to Anadolu Agency, the Fire and Rescue Authority declared full control over the massive fire that erupted in the Jerusalem Hills on Wednesday. Israel's public broadcaster KAN and Channel 12 reported on the situation, with KAN noting the formation of a special investigation team to determine the cause of the fire.

Contrary to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's accusation that individuals deliberately started the fires, Channel 12 reported that "the main fires in the Jerusalem Hills were not set intentionally, and assessments indicate they were caused by negligence." Speaking to students Thursday, Netanyahu stated that 18 individuals were in custody on suspicion of intentionally setting fires, with one caught in the act.

However, Israeli Army Radio refuted these claims, stating that "only three individuals have been detained on suspicion of arson." The Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper further dismissed Netanyahu's allegations, reporting that "at this stage, there is no conclusive evidence indicating the fires were deliberately set."

Later in the day, Channel 12 reported an incident where an Israeli was slightly injured due to a large fire that broke out in the village of Givat Washington. Firefighting teams have not yet brought this fire under control and are working under challenging conditions to prevent it from spreading to residential buildings.

Authorities are continuing investigations to determine the cause of the blaze in the same area, which experienced less severe wildfires last week. Thousands of residents from several towns were evacuated on Wednesday due to the wildfires, which raged between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, trapping dozens of cars and forcing drivers to walk across the road to escape the flames.