A wildfire has shut the main highway linking Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, sending at least a dozen people to the hospital and turning the skies over Jerusalem gray.

A large wildfire broke out on Wednesday morning in the Judean Hills and spread to the outskirts of Jerusalem. Roads have been closed, dozens of people have suffered from smoke inhalation, and efforts to bring the blaze under control have so far been unsuccessful,

Israeli officials reached out to Britain, France, Greece, Italy and other countries for assistance putting out the wildfires.