FIREFIGHTING teams from around the world flew into Israel yesterday to help battle a huge forest fire close to the northern city of Haifa that has killed at least 42 people and forced mass evacuations.
Cyprus, Greece, Britain, Jordan, Bulgaria and Russia had all heeded the call, as well as Turkey, which laid aside recent diplomatic strains to send aid. Planes and helicopters swooped over the Israeli woodland yesterday, dumping tonnes of seawater on to the flames, but the blaze continued to burn out of control. As darkness fell after a second day of firefighting efforts, Israel’s fire chief said the flames might burn on for days.
“We are far from bringing it under control,” national fire chief Shimon Romach said. “I don’t believe we will be able to overcome it even tomorrow.”
Israeli media said 4 million trees had been lost so far in the blaze which was visible from the Mediterranean shore during the day and authorities told Haifa residents to shut their doors and windows to keep out the thick smoke.
Police also ordered the evacuation of 17,000 people from the Carmel Ridge, where the fire was focused, forcibly removing some locals who refused to leave their property.
Most of the victims were trainee prison officers, killed on Thursday when their bus was engulfed by flames as they headed towards a prison to help evacuate 500 inmates.
The first of the dead, many of them young men and women, were buried yesterday, Israeli flags draped over their coffins.
The Cypriot firefighting unit was the first foreign team to arrive in Israel yesterday morning, having sent a police helicopter and an aircraft belonging to the Forestry Department.
“We’re ready to give any help necessary,” said Interior Minister Neoclis Sylikiotis. He also expressed Cyprus’ readiness to send ground forces, but Israel would have to send a C130 transport aircraft to convey the fire fighting forces and their vehicles.
According to police spokesman Michalis Katsounotos, police responded by sending a helicopter with two captains, an engineer, a member of a special unit for tackling disasters and two officers of the Forestry Department.
“We arrived in Haifa at around 7.30am local time where we were welcomed by the Israelis and given a small briefing about the situation and almost immediately we began with the operation [of putting out the fire],” said Stelios Kotzikas, the pilot of the firefighting aircraft provided by the Forestry Department. “Unfortunately the fire is very big and has destroyed one of Israel’s few large forests,” added Kitzikas.
Kitzikas said the operation was being hampered by incredibly strong winds and the presence of power cables on flight paths. The Cypriot firefighter estimated that the fire might not be put out until tomorrow.
As the fire progressed yesterday there was barely concealed anger that so many lives were lost in a country that spends billions of dollars a year on weaponry but significantly less on its emergency services.
“What would we have done if faced with dozens and hundreds of missiles that might have ignited fires in several areas, including urban areas with multi-story buildings?” asked the top-selling daily, Yedioth Ahronoth.
Some Israeli newspapers speculated that the fire might have been started deliberately, and one suggested it might prove to be the “worst terror attack” in Israel’s history.
Israeli police were still investigating whether the blaze was caused by arson or negligence, the country’s police chief David Cohen told reporters.
The largest fire in Israel’s history scorched more than 2,800 hectares of drought-stricken land, destroyed houses and exposed severe shortcomings in the country’s ability to tackle such an emergency.
The blaze took hold early on Thursday and Israel launched an international appeal for help just hours later when it became clear its own ill-equipped fire service could not cope.
At least 16 countries swiftly heeded the call.
“I think this symbolises an unprecedented response to our request for international help,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after chairing an emergency cabinet meeting.
He took time out of the rescue operation to thank Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan for sending help. It was believed to be the first time the pair had spoken in person since Netanyahu took office 18 months ago.
Once-solid relations with Turkey have turned sour in recent months, hitting a low point in May when nine Turkish activists were killed when Israeli commandos stormed their boat which had been trying to beat an Israeli no-go zone and enter the Gaza Strip.
“I told Erdogan that we appreciate the major efforts during this time and I am sure that this will be a gateway to improving relations between the two countries”, Netanyahu said.
