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Haifa, il Monte Carmelo brucia. Aiuti da Turchia, Cipro, Grecia e Spagna. E l’Italia?

Da Haaretz questo drammatico resoconto sul monte che sovrasta Haifa, il Carmelo, denso di storia e di storie. Sta bruciando, il governo istraeliano ha chiesto aiuto. L’articolo del giornale israeliano del 2.12.2010:

Forty people were killed on Thursday as a huge brushfire continued to rage across the Carmel Mountains in northern Israel, killing and injuring dozens, among them prison guards and firemen.

Some 13,000 people were evacuated from their homes in the north and Israel called for international aid as the fire blazed out of control, fanned by easterly winds following a month of near record temperatures for the time of year.

Firefighters from all over the country battle a massive fire raging across the northern Carmel region.
Firefighters from all over the country battle a massive fire raging across the northern Carmel region.Hagai Frid
2/14

By midnight on Thursday, evacuation operations had spread to Denya, an affluent neighborhood on the edge of Haifa, as the flames threatened Israel’s third-largest city.

“We lost all control of the fire,” said the Haifa firefighting services spokesman late Thursday. “There aren’t enough firefighting resources in Israel in order to put out the fire,” he said.

By the early hourse of Friday morning, emergency services had recovered 35 bodies, of which 22 had been identified, according to television reports.

Most of the dead from the blaze were students on the Prison Service’s guards’ course on their way to the Damon jail to help evacuate inmates there.

When a fallen tree blocked a road, their bus was trapped in the flames, killing 40 of 50 passengers. Seven surviviors were left in critical condition and evacuated to Haifa hospitals.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hurried to the scene Thursday evening,calling the fire a “disaster on an international scale.” Israel had requested international aid to deal with the blaze, which was out of control, he said.

“We do not have what it takes to put out the fire, but help is on the way. As a result of calls I have made, there are currently ten aircraft on their way to Israel from Greece, France and Cyprus,” Netanyahu said.

Despite tense relations with Israel Turkey also offered to aid the firefight.

“This is a difficult hour, and we will need to learn lessons for the future, but at this moment, our only thoughts are to save lives and protect the forces that are dealing with this catastrophe,” Netanyahu said. “I believe they are doing an outstanding job.”

The prime minister also said any possible measures would be taken to avoid further risk to civilians, even if that meant large-scale evacuations.

“Evacuations will be conducted as needed, with sufficient advance warning. We do not want any more injuries.”

Haifa’s police chief, Deputy Commander Ahuva Tomer, was also critically hurt in the fire.

Mass evacuations had begun in the early afternoon, starting in the western neighborhoods of the Tirat Hacarmel neighborhood firefighters fought an ultimately failed battle to contain the flames. By early evening the fire had already destroyed over 7,000 dunams (1,700 acres) of natural forest.

Police forces were also preparing to evacuate prisoners from Prison 6 and Carmel Prison in northern Israel, and live-in students in Haifa University were evacuated to a nearby high school.

Some 200 patients from the Tirat Hacarmel psychiatric hospital were also evacuated to other hospitals in nearby towns.

All 400 residents of Kibbutz Beit Oren had already been evacuated from their homes on Thursday afternoon, as the entire Kibbutz went up in flames.

Haifa mayor Yonah Yahav said earlier Thursday that “the flames have spread on a scale we’ve never seen.” Magen David Adom Director General Eli Bin defined the fire as “the worst disaster in Israel’s history.”
View Northern Israel Fire in a larger map

President Shimon Peres said: “Today, our hearts are in Haifa, with the firefighters that with incredible courage are battling the flames; some of them have even been injured, along with residents of the area.”

He said: “We are praying for a miracle. We are praying for their safety. We are praying for the fire to end.”

The villages of Isfiyeh and Beit Oron were evacuated in the early afternoon, as were the neighboring Carmel Forest Hotel and Carmel Farm.

Dal Jerusalem Post delk 2.12.2010:

Turkey offers assistance in Carmel fire despite tensions

By JPOST.COM STAFF
12/02/2010 23:50

Ankara to send firefighting aircraft to Israel in attempt to extinguish raging blaze; Greece, Cyprus, Spain also lend support.

Turkish officials announced Thursday that Turkey has offered to send Israel two firefighting aircraft to help control the huge blaze was continuing to spread through northern Israel.

Despite tensions between the Jerusalem and Ankara Turkey decided to offer help along with European countries such as Greece, Spain and Cyprus.

As fires raged in the Carmel mountains on Thursday, 40 prison wardens en route to the Damon Prison burned to death in a bus caught up in the blaze .

The wardens were meant to assist in evacuating some 500 prisoners from the facility, situated near Kibbutz Beit Oren. Their vehicle was engulfed in fast moving flames which had spread to the narrow mountain road linking Atlit to Kibbutz Bet Oren.

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman asked ambassadors in the United States, Europe and Jordan to seek assistance in overcoming the blaze.   Subscribe to our Newsletter to receive news updates directly to your

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