Metzuda winery went up in flames on very day of grape harvest

Haredi manager Eli Bash estimates 8 million shekels of damages: “This was G-d’s will, and no amount of planes or fire fighters could change that.”

Arutz Sheva

Eliyahu Bash, the manager of the Metzuda winery in Givat Ye’arim that went up in flames on Sunday due to the massive blaze – set apparently by arsonists – in the Jerusalem hills, told Galei Tzahal on Monday morning that “the winery is gone. It’s dust and ashes. Nothing is left. Around 150 barrels were burned. Last Thursday, we received a consignment of 30,000 new bottles that we were going to fill yesterday. It happened in the most tragic manner possible,” he said.

The fire – which is still burning as of this writing on Monday morning – is being called one of the largest blazes ever recorded in the wider Jerusalem area. It appears to have been set near the town of Beit Meir, an area targeted by arsonists in the past. Due to the strong westerly winds prevailing on Sunday, it spread rapidly to nearby communities which were swiftly evacuated – some 10,000 people were directly affected.

The Metzuda winery is a haredi-owned vineyard that was founded around a decade ago in the small town of Givat Ye’arim, around twenty minutes’ drive from Jerusalem, producing around 40,000 bottles of wine per year. On Sunday evening, Bash described the events of that terrible day to Kikar Hashabbat.

“It was going to be a day of harvesting the grapes,” Bash related. “We started work indoors that morning, and suddenly, the world seemed to be going dark outside. The skies looked strange, but we didn’t realize the reason why, and we went back to work.”

“After around a quarter of an hour, the electricity went down, and we started to get worried. We went outside and then we saw the flames – they were already approaching – and there was an acrid smell of smoke. Then we realized what was going on. All of us – all the winery workers – ran for our cars and fled for our lives.

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  Cars drive on a road as heavy smoke and flames rise from a forest fire in the Jerusalem Hills near the Israeli village of Shoresh, on August 15, 2021. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)<
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  Firefighting plane works to extinguish flames in a forest near Beit Meir on August 15, 2021 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)<
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  This picture taken from the Mount of Olives shows a general view of Jerusalem’s old city with Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount in the foreground and a cloud of smoke rising from a large forest fire in the background, August 15, 2021. (Photo by Ahmad GHARABLI / AFP)<
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  Ultra-Orthodox Jews walk through the Machane Yehuda market under a sky darkened by nearby wildfires, in Jerusalem, Aug. 15, 2021.(AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)<
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  A resident sprays water with a hose as heavy smoke rises from a forest fire in the Jerusalem mountains near the Israeli village of Moshav Shoresh, on August 15, 2021. (Menahem KAHANA / AFP)<
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  A wildfire rages west of Jerusalem on August 15, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)<
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  A cloud of smoke rises from a large forest fire on the outskirts of Jerusalem behind Dormition Abbey on August 15, 2021.(Photo by Ahmad GHARABLI / AFP)<
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  Cars are parked in a village as smoke and flames rise from a forest fire at the Jerusalem mountains near the Israeli village of Moshav Shoresh, on August 15, 2021 (Menahem KAHANA / AFP)<
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A massive wildfire continued to burn through the wooded hillsides outside Jerusalem early Monday, but fire officials said homes in the area were no longer in danger, with only a few hotspots left.

Officials said firefighters had managed to get enough of the blaze under control to ensure that there was no immediate danger to homes in the area, even as they continued to battle a fire thought to be the biggest in the Jerusalem area in years.

There was no update on a 25-year-old patient named Shabtai, missing since he lost contact with others during the evacuation of the Eitanim psychiatric hospital, as flames approached the town of Givat Ye’arim. A second patient who had gone missing was located sometime before midnight, police said.

The health and environmental protection ministries issued a statement saying that following the blaze, there was very high pollution in the Jerusalem Hills region and residents were advised to reduce outdoor sports activity, stay indoors and close windows. Those with heart or lung conditions, older people, children and pregnant women were advised not to go outside unless necessary.

As firefighting planes restarted their work on Monday morning after being grounded for the night, Fire and Rescue Commissioner Dedi Simchi said investigators believed the blaze had been started by humans, but it was not yet clear if it was negligence or arson.

“This is a manmade fire, whether it was intentionally criminal or negligent,” Simchi said.<
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Shabtai, a 25-year-old man missing after a fire caused the evacuation of the Eitanim psychiatric hospital near Jerusalem. (Courtesy/Israel Police)<
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Jerusalem District Commander Nissim Twito told the Kan public broadcaster that he believed the blaze would be under control by the afternoon.

“The fire is not over yet, but we are allowing residents to return to their homes,” Twito said. “The crews have worked all night and I believe we will finish by the afternoon.”

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