HAIFA, Israel, Dec 4 (AFP) - The massive fire ripping through northern Israel was still incinerating swathes of land today, with little sign that Israeli and foreign firefighters were winning the battle to contain it.With 41 people dead and more than 17,000 people evacuated from their homes, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to bring in more international forces to join those already working to battle the biggest inferno in Israel's history.
Police said the fire had destroyed homes in three areas overnight: Ein Hod, Nir Etzion and Yemin Hod, all of which had already been evacuated.
As dawn broke, dozens of fire-fighting aircraft resumed work, including a Russian aircraft capable of dropping 42,000 litres (9,200 gallons) of water at a single pass.
There was no indication as to when the firefighters were likely to gain control over the blaze, which is raging through a nature reserve near the northern port city of Haifa.
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| A Canadair firefighter plane sprays its load of water over flames in the Carmel Forest on the outskirts of Haifa. AFP |
However, late on Friday, Chezi Levy, spokesman for the Haifa fire service, said the fire was being brought under control in some areas. “The fires are dying down everywhere except in the southern front where the flames are still high and remain strong, which is where we are concentrating our efforts.”
He said an investigation had ascertained where the fire began, but its cause was still unclear.
Israeli police chief Dudi Cohen said the fire was still a formidable force. “At this moment it cannot be said that the fire is under control, not yet,” he said. “I really hope that the fire will be under control by tomorrow (Saturday) evening but we still have a lot to do.”With 41 people dead, and 17 injured, one of them critically, officials said they were still searching for another four people
By nightfall on Friday, the fire had incinerated more than 10,000 acres (4,000 hectares) of land, with flames reaching the southern outskirts of Haifa, Israel's third-largest city.
Netanyahu said international help was crucial to putting out the blaze. “Our firefighting measures cannot provide an answer to forest fires of this magnitude, especially in the face of such winds,” he told his security cabinet on Friday. |
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