Analysis: Heroism, resilience… and gnawing questions By DAVID HOROVITZ Jerusalem Post 12/03/2010 13:54 Israel, with world help, is rising to fight the northern inferno. When the flames are finally doused, there will be some harsh lessons to learn. At midday on Friday, 25 hours after the start of the inferno that has taken more than 40 lives, forced 13,000 people from their homes and consumed vast swathes of the northern Israeli countryside, Israel’s utterly under-equipped Fire Service offered the first real glimmer of hope.
“We do not have the fire under control, but we do have the situation under control,” said Hezi Levy, the Fire Service spokesman. “We have commanders deployed on the ground in all the key areas. We are properly coordinating our work, between the ground operations and the air forces. We have our priorities straight, focusing on preventing the blaze from destroying residential areas.”
RELATED:
Eyewitness: Days of awe and light, with a new dreadful significance
Background: ‘You’ve never seen such flames’
Analysis: A tragedy waiting to happen
For more of the analysis go to jpost
Foreign firefighting teams began aiding Israel Friday morning as it battled one of the worst fires in its history. The blaze is moving west, threatening a Haifa neighborhood and the Druze town of Isfiya. The first to join forces were Greek and Bulgarian teams, which had arrived in the Ramat David Air Force base before first light. A British helicopter landed in Haifa later in the morning, having come from Cyprus along with a Cypriot plane and chopper.
- 5,000 acres torched in blaze
- Lieberman: Gov’t knew of plane shortage
- Aharonovitch: Criminal probe to follow fire
- America to the rescue
- Identification of bodies underway
- Paramedic: I saw dozens of bodies
- Massive fire claims 41 lives
- Netanyahu to declare day of mourning
- Haifa police chief gravely hurt in blaze
- World comes to Israel’s aid
Despite foreign efforts, however, the fire began to spread towards Haifa’s Denia neighborhood in the morning. In Tirat Carmel firefighters reported that though they had succeeded in blocking the flames in the town, winds and the dry weather rekindled them until they once again threatened homes. A new fire was identified at Na’aman Junction on Friday.
Fire crews and planes in the area were attempting to tackle the flames.
Abu-Kabir forensic institute has so far identified 41 victims, some of whose names have been publicized:
• Oshrat Pinto, 26, Safed
• Ronen Peretz, 34, Ashkelon
• Hagai Jurno, 28, Kiryat Gat
• Roi Biton, 28, Kiryat Gat
• Yakir Suissa, 25, Dimona
• Inbal Amoyal, 26, Dimona
• Siom Tsagai, 31, Netivot
• Kfir Ohana, 30, Ofakim
• Wasim Abu-Rish, 28, Yirka
• Nisher Tapash Adal, 33, Beit Jan
• Misher Vizel Eran, 31, Kiryat Bialik
May our memory of them only be for a blessing.
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Israel is heading out to the fire zones to collect pets from evacuated residents who cannot care for them.
Representatives of the Society will arrive at the location of each and every evacuated resident.
Members of the public who wish to contact the Society should call 1599502005
Palestinian firefighters helping to battle blaze
Palestinian Authority firefighters are working to help battle the blaze raging in northern Israel, especially in areas near its territory, north of Jenin.
The head of the Palestinian Civil Defense said forces have been assisting Israel since yesterday. “Palestinian teams helped the Israeli side because this is a human disaster,” he said. (Ali Waked)
From the Israeli newspaper Haaretz update
- Disaster in the North: 40 dead as fire rages in Carmel Mountains
- 15,000 evacuated as huge blaze threatens Haifa
- Turkey offers Israel help in controlling fire despite tense relations
- Fire department was slow to respond, pilot says
- Obama offers help as fire ravages Israel’s north
