Large Israeli fire under control

DALIYAT EL CARMEL Israel - slack winds and an extended international squadron of fire fighting aircraft helped Israeli emergency forces Sunday's deadly fire in the Carmel mountains outside the northern city of Haifa for four days up to tame.

Photos

Reuters

Fire officials said control of the main centres of the blaze had established while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel no longer air support needed. Firefighters could shrink down and a handful of fires to fight to isolate the flames.

Many of the 17,000 inhabitants, the houses in the area of Haifa started evacuated Meanwhile home.

"We have it under control," Mordechai Shamran said the Deputy Commander of the police in Haifa in an interview with the Israeli channel 2 television. "We are prevented the fire ignite in 98% of the seats. "

Israel's worst forest fire in its history claimed 41 life and for the first time rendered depending on deal the Jewish State foreign aid with a national emergency. Palestinian firefighters and fire trucks from the West Bank cities Jenin and Bethlehem joined Sunday international efforts

Joshua Mitnick/the Wall Street Journal four days of Carmel storms left areas of mountain forests smouldering scorched trees with a white carpet of ash Sunday.

Cabinet Secretary Gideon Hauser said damage including 250 houses, Haaretz newspaper reported over $ 74 million on its website. In the meantime, called news commentators Committee be set up an independent Commission, that assign responsibility for the blaze.

A Haifa a judge court arrested in the detention of two minors from the Arab Druze village of Isfiya extended Saturday for negligence in establishing the blaze.

Israel rented registered 35 10 countries, including a Boeing 747 aircraft from the United States to set the fire. The huge smoking replaced clouds over the lush Carmel on Sunday a show like procession of aircraft Greece, Russia and Turkey.

15 Minute missions in small groups of four and two flying, the aircraft that picked up then drove salt water from the Mediterranean sea eastward to the mountain setbacks made and then crashed low on the smoldering forests to release your payload.

The flights were occasionally interrupted, a huge shower red flame retardant released by "Supertanker" Boeing by Evergreen International Aviation Inc. McMinnville, Oregon. "

Down below fought hundreds of firefighters, the flame back from Israeli towns is to beat in the forest. A group of firefighters with Russ smeared jackets said they were grateful for the help as you rested four consecutive days of the action.

"Today we see results," said Haim Buniere, a firefighter with the Jewish National Fund, which worked since broke the blaze layers, around the clock on Thursday. "The situation is better and its more relaxed. There are no strong winds. It is painful to see trees, in flames, go sophisticated. "

Getty Images firefighters see a plane spray extinguishing the fire Sunday.

The four days fire damaged five million trees and 12,000 hectares, the area some eight times damaged as a result of katjuschi hits rocket during Israel's six war with Hezbollah in 2006.

The southern front of the forest fire was centered around 10 miles south of Haifa. Dry winds whipped up blazes are, spread the and an artist village, en HOD, where several stone houses and studies Sunday were damaged, and the Carmel forests luxurious spa hotel.

While aircraft buzzed overhead, JNF forest ranger Omri Bonneh a gully with respondents scorched tree trunks and carpeting with white ash. "The spread of this fire was nothing as we have never seen,", he said."It takes many years to restore this beauty. "

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