Israeli inferno may have been arson
Source: Agencies |
December 4, 2010, Saturday
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EUROPEAN aircraft dumped tons of water over flames shooting from tall trees yesterday in northern Israel as firefighters struggled for a second day to contain the country's worst-ever forest fire, which has killed 41 people and displaced thousands.
Authorities raised the possibility of arson, saying several small fires that broke out in the same general area but were quickly contained seem to have been deliberately set.
A strong wind fanned flames through one of the country's few natural forests to the outskirts of Israel's third-largest city, Haifa. One of the main country's highways was closed to traffic as adjacent trees were left smoldering and smoke billowed toward the coast.
Police said two men, Druze from northern Israel, had been detained on suspicion they planned to set a smaller fire. A bicycle and a wig were found near another blaze site. That reinforced suspicions that the large blaze was set by arsonists.
A police investigation was ongoing, and Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich said it was too early to determine the cause of the big fire. But if the big blaze did turn out to have several distinct centers, "then it would look like arson," he told Channel 2 TV.
Yoram Levy, a spokesman for Israel's fire and rescue service, said the fire was huge and that firefighters battling winds were having trouble accessing mountains and valleys.
"We don't have big aircraft that can carry a large amount of water," Levy said. "It is not enough for a large-scale fire."
The shortfall prompted an unprecedented wave of international assistance. Israel is better known for sending its own rescue teams and medical personnel to other -countries to help in their disaster-relief efforts.
Some 100 firefighters from Bulgaria arrived as well as fire extinguishing planes and crews from Greece and Britain, Israeli officials said. More aid was on its way from the United States, Russia, Egypt, Cyprus, Jordan, Spain, Azerbaijan, Romania and Turkey - which put aside tensions over Israel's deadly raid on a Turkish Gaza-bound flotilla in May to lend a hand.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak ordered the military to make all its resources available for the effort, which was being coordinated by the Israeli air force. The military said it sent soldiers and equipment, including helicopters, bulldozers, medics and army units.
The Israeli Cabinet convened an emergency meeting to discuss the fire. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked countries around the world for their help before departing north to visit the wounded in hospitals and inspect firsthand the efforts to put out the fire.
He singled out Turkey as the two countries put aside tensions over a deadly May 31 Israeli raid against a Turkish flotilla trying to break Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip.
"We are amid a disaster of international proportions," he said. "We have to admit that our firefighting services cannot handle a forest fire backed by such a strong wind. We don't have the means for it."
The disaster exposed critical shortfalls in emergency services. With the country's resources focused primarily on its military and police forces, firefighters have been undermanned and underfunded for years.
Levy said the country only has 1,400 firefighters, far below the worldwide average. The force also complains of having old and faulty equipment.
Aluf Benn, a columnist for the Haaretz daily, said the country's inability to control the flames proved it was not ready for a massive attack against it from the likes of Iran. He compared the fire to the fiasco of 1973, when Israel was caught off guard by a surprise military attack from Egypt and Syria.
Authorities raised the possibility of arson, saying several small fires that broke out in the same general area but were quickly contained seem to have been deliberately set.
A strong wind fanned flames through one of the country's few natural forests to the outskirts of Israel's third-largest city, Haifa. One of the main country's highways was closed to traffic as adjacent trees were left smoldering and smoke billowed toward the coast.
Police said two men, Druze from northern Israel, had been detained on suspicion they planned to set a smaller fire. A bicycle and a wig were found near another blaze site. That reinforced suspicions that the large blaze was set by arsonists.
A police investigation was ongoing, and Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich said it was too early to determine the cause of the big fire. But if the big blaze did turn out to have several distinct centers, "then it would look like arson," he told Channel 2 TV.
Yoram Levy, a spokesman for Israel's fire and rescue service, said the fire was huge and that firefighters battling winds were having trouble accessing mountains and valleys.
"We don't have big aircraft that can carry a large amount of water," Levy said. "It is not enough for a large-scale fire."
The shortfall prompted an unprecedented wave of international assistance. Israel is better known for sending its own rescue teams and medical personnel to other -countries to help in their disaster-relief efforts.
Some 100 firefighters from Bulgaria arrived as well as fire extinguishing planes and crews from Greece and Britain, Israeli officials said. More aid was on its way from the United States, Russia, Egypt, Cyprus, Jordan, Spain, Azerbaijan, Romania and Turkey - which put aside tensions over Israel's deadly raid on a Turkish Gaza-bound flotilla in May to lend a hand.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak ordered the military to make all its resources available for the effort, which was being coordinated by the Israeli air force. The military said it sent soldiers and equipment, including helicopters, bulldozers, medics and army units.
The Israeli Cabinet convened an emergency meeting to discuss the fire. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked countries around the world for their help before departing north to visit the wounded in hospitals and inspect firsthand the efforts to put out the fire.
He singled out Turkey as the two countries put aside tensions over a deadly May 31 Israeli raid against a Turkish flotilla trying to break Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip.
"We are amid a disaster of international proportions," he said. "We have to admit that our firefighting services cannot handle a forest fire backed by such a strong wind. We don't have the means for it."
The disaster exposed critical shortfalls in emergency services. With the country's resources focused primarily on its military and police forces, firefighters have been undermanned and underfunded for years.
Levy said the country only has 1,400 firefighters, far below the worldwide average. The force also complains of having old and faulty equipment.
Aluf Benn, a columnist for the Haaretz daily, said the country's inability to control the flames proved it was not ready for a massive attack against it from the likes of Iran. He compared the fire to the fiasco of 1973, when Israel was caught off guard by a surprise military attack from Egypt and Syria.
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