Friday AM update from Haifa (including video)
Here's a video of the Haifa fire at about 5:30 am on Friday (sunrise was about 6:20 on Friday).Let's go to the videotape.
Moving a few hours ahead, firefighters, with equipment shipped from Europe during the night, have managed to stop the fire's advance at the entrance to Tirat HaCarmel.
Firefighters gained control of flames threatening residential areas of Tirat Hacarmel on Friday, preventing the blaze from causing serious damage to homes, fire officials reported.More here.
According to Jewish National Fund officials, over 20,000 dunams have been consumed and around 13,000 residents have been evacuated from their homes as a result of the blaze which has been spreading due to strong eastern winds.
Overnight Friday, the fire spread to the residential area of Tirat Hacarmel and the Denya neighborhood of Haifa causing the evacuation of over 2,000 residents. In addition, two additional fires broke out overnight near the entrance to the village of Ussafiya and the Atlit prison [more arson? CiJ]. A number of fire crews were diverted from the larger fire in an attempt to gain control of the new blazes.
The first of 23 international aircraft carrying firefighters, supplies and fire retardant chemicals landed at the Ramat David Israel Air Force base in the North early Friday morning.
...
Forty-One people have lost their lives in the blaze, including 36 Israel Prison Service members, two police officers and a volunteer firefighter. Three people remained in critical condition at Rambam Hospital in Haifa.
Labels: arson, Carmel forest, forest fire, Haifa
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 11:01 AM
2 Comments:
Serious questions will be asked in the aftermath of this fire about Israel's fire prevention strategy.
Why was a controlled burn of the brush on the upper slopes of Mt. Carmel never performed? Why where there no requirements to clear areas of flammable material? And why is Israel, which is advanced in every other area, short of adequate fire-fighting equipment?
The one good thing that has come out of this disaster is its highlighted Israel's lapses and deficiencies and given the country the means to prevent its repetition in the future.
We can only mourn for the lost lives now and pray that no more property and lives are taken.
With prison guards being killed and you mention more fires near another prison, are they trying to release arab terrorist prisoners and at the same time murdering Jews who are the warders?
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