A wildfire closes main highway linking Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and sends 12 people to the hospital

JERUSALEM (AP) — A wildfire shut the main highway linking Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on Wednesday, sending at least a dozen people to the hospital and turning skies over Jerusalem gray.

Video footage showed vehicles stranded nearby as flames spread throughout the area, while another video showed the fire approaching a Catholic monastery.

The fire was being whipped up by strong winds and hot, dry weather. The cause was being investigated. Help was on the way from across the region, including aircraft from Italy, Croatia and North Macedonia, Israeli officials said.

Helicopters were dropping water to battle the flames from above, while other firefighting teams were responding on ATVs.

“We hope to reach 150 firefighting teams,” Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said.

The fire occurred as Israel observes Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of attacks, ahead of Independence Day on Thursday. Many of the planned events were being canceled, including the official national ceremony in Jerusalem. The event had been set for Mount Herzl, near the fire zone. Instead, a recording of the dress rehearsal was being broadcast.

Those taken for hospital treatment mostly suffered from smoke inhalation, while another 10 people were treated in the field, Magen David Adom Ambulance services said. Residents living close to the fire zone were evacuated, police said.

Officials at the monastery, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, said it was too early to assess the damage, if any. The religious communities had been safely evacuated, they said.

“We pray for the safety of everyone,” their statement said.

As flames advanced towards the Tel Aviv-to-Jerusalem highway, many people abandoned their cars and fled on foot or hitched rides with other vehicles heading in the opposite direction.

In 2010, a massive forest fire burned for four days on northern Israel’s Mount Carmel, claiming 44 lives and destroying around 12,000 acres, much of it woodland.

An Israeli firefighter works as forest fire is burning near Jerusalem, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Israeli firefighters work to extinguish a forest fire burning near Jerusalem, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

A forest fire burns near Jerusalem, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Israeli fire department crews drives through smoke from a burning fire on the freeway near Jerusalem, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Firefighters work to extinguish a forest fire burning on a freeway to Jerusalem, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Firefighters work to extinguish a forest fire burning on a freeway to Jerusalem, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

A forest fire burn near Jerusalem, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

A forest fire burns near Jerusalem, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Firefighters work to extinguish a forest fire burning on a freeway to Jerusalem, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

A plane uses a fire retardant to extinguish a fire burning in a forest near Jerusalem, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

An Israeli firefighter works as forest fire is burning near Jerusalem, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

A plane uses a fire retardant to extinguish a fire burning in a forest near Jerusalem, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

The NFL set a record for fewest punts per game in 2025, and wild-card weekend was filled with fourth-down fun and folly as punters were mostly spectators, especially Chicago's Tory Taylor, who never stepped off the sideline in the Bears' come-from-behind win over the Green Bay Packers.

In all, teams converted 15 of 29 fourth down attempts on wild-card weekend, when there were only 41 punts, nine of them Monday night in the Houston Texans' 30-6 rout of Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Bears first-year coach Ben Johnson was particularly aggressive, going for it a half dozen times in fourth down Saturday night, including two backfires in the first half that led to a pair of Green Bay touchdowns and put the Bears in a 21-3 halftime hole.

Caleb Williams was intercepted on fourth-and-6 from the Packers 40-yard line, leading to Jordan Love's 18-yard touchdown throw, and Williams threw incomplete on fourth-and-5 from his own 32. That one led to Love's TD throw on fourth-and-goal from the Bears 2 that gave Green Bay an 18-point halftime cushion.

The Packers couldn't capitalize on another turnover on downs by Chicago just before halftime because Brandon McManus missed a 55-yard field goal on the final play after Williams threw incomplete deep on fourth-and-4 from the Green Bay 37.

When Prime Video's sideline reporter Kaylee Hartung asked the Bears' coach about his aggressive approach and going for it on fourth down multiple times on his own side of the field, Johnson replied, “Yeah, we want to maximize our possessions and we want to go for fourth-down plays.”

Her follow-up was about how to slow down Green Bay's efficient offense.

“That's a big reason why we're being aggressive on offense, so that we can extend our drives and score points ourselves,” Johnson insisted. “It's a really good offense we're going against.”

Although the Bears would convert just twice on their six fourth downs — Green Bay was 3 for 3 on fourth down — that strategy paid off in the end. Williams threw a 27-yard pass to Rome Odunze to the Packers' 30-yard line, which led to the TD that pulled Chicago to 27-24 with 4:21 remaining.

Johnson said the game plan featured an aggressive fourth-down mentality, and "I think where it gets misconstrued is, there’s a lack of confidence in your defense when you do that. I think the opposite, I think it’s because I have confidence in our defense and their ability to stop teams in the red zone."

“I’m never going to apologize for being aggressive or doing things that might be a little unorthodox,” Johnson added, "if it’s what we deem is best for us to win a ballgame.”

Johnson was the Lions' offensive coordinator when Detroit blew a 17-point halftime lead and lost the NFC championship to San Francisco 34-31 after the 2023 season. In that game, Lions coach Dan Campbell went for it on fourth down twice in field-goal range but came up short, later saying he'd do it again if he could.

Those failures didn't curtail the Lions' aggressive fourth-down philosophy, one that Johnson took to Chicago when he was hired by the Bears a year ago.

He had plenty of company over the weekend as a trend from the regular season continued. There were just 3.55 punts per game per team this season and that figure fell in the first round of the playoffs with teams averaging just 3.41 punts per game.

The Panthers and Rams got the fun going Saturday when early fourth-down failures led to touchdowns by each team.

Trevor Lawrence thought he had the first down when the Jaguars went for it on fourth-and-2 from the Buffalo 9 only to see the review reveal his shin had hit the ground shy of the first-down marker, a fourth-down faux pas that proved pivotal in Jacksonville's 27-24 loss to the Bills.

The Bills twice went for it on fourth-and-1 deep in Jaguars territory. Josh Allen had a 4-yard keeper on the first one and was carried 9 yards on an astonishing tush push to the 1 that also led to a Buffalo touchdown.

The 49ers didn't attempt a single fourth-down conversion in their 23-19 win at Philadelphia, where the Eagles were 3-for-5 on fourth down.

The Patriots converted their only fourth-down try, on fourth-and-4 from the Chargers' 30, which led to a field goal. When the Chargers took a delay after failing to induce an offsides call and then punted from midfield, NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth said, “I think Jim Harbaugh's been watching the games this weekend.”

And when Steelers coach Mike Tomlin chose to take the three points with a 32-yard field goal try rather that chancing it fourth-and-3 from the Houston 14 Monday night, ESPN analyst Troy Aikman commented: “We're in a time as we all know when a lot of offenses would be going for it ... But points are going to be (at) a premium. You've got two defenses that are capable of dominating their opponent. Get 'em when you can.”

Well, points certainly were at a premium for Pittsburgh, which hung in there most of the night before the Texans' 23-0 fourth-quarter blitz in what might have been Rodgers' farewell game.

If so, Rodgers' final pass was a pick-6 by safety Calen Bullock, whose 50-yard interception return for a touchdown came on ... you guessed it, fourth down.

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Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson reacts during the first half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Green Bay Packers Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Huh)