ISRAEL – Fires suspected to be the work of arsonists raged near Jerusalem late Tuesday, forcing the evacuation of 300 homes and the closing of the main highway linking the capital and the ocean metropolis of Tel Aviv for hours.

The fires came within one kilometer of Chabad-Lubavitch of Har Adar, directed by Rabbi Mendel and Adina Friedman, before crews doused the advancing flames. The rabbi’s family was among the thousands stranded due to the closing of the highway, linking Jerusalem to his base of operations on the western edge of the city.

“Thank G‑d, it really wasn’t too dramatic from what I saw,” said the rabbi. “We were stuck in Jerusalem for a few hours. We heard about the fires on the news and didn’t even try to travel home.”

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According to news reports, four people were slightly injured from smoke inhalation and 300 homes had to be evacuated due to two fires that blazed near the communities of Motza and Maale Hahamisha. More than 35 firefighting squads and six aircraft were called upon to help fight the blazes, which burned through 75 acres of woodlands to the edge of Jerusalem suburb Mevaseret Zion before being contained around 5:00 p.m.

Rabbi Yitzchok Rabinowitz, who directs the Chabad House in the upper class suburb, said the smoke was palpable enough to detect in the atmosphere over his home, prompting him to shutter his windows and worry about the welfare of his 13-year-old, who was stuck on a bus for hours due to the highway closure. He also had a friend who was among those who had to be evacuated.

Rabinowitz said he was grateful to see the planes overhead dumping red billowy retardant over the fires, though it too made for a noxious smell.

Jerusalem police chief Niso Shaham said the fires were probably set deliberately. Several arrests were made over the past few weeks in a series of other suspicious fires that caused damage in and around Jerusalem, he said. Some of the fires were located on Mount Scopus, in the French Hill section of the city, near the American Consulate and in the suburbs of Ora and Aminadav.

Highway traffic was blocked off for hours, leading to congestion as far away as Ben Gurion Airport. Motorists were turned back and instructed to take alternative routes.