Fire Rages in Carmel, PM Says “We Have Never Experienced a Disaster Like This”

I’m listening to the radio. A huge fire is raging in the Carmel forest, near Haifa. Nearly everyone from Kibbutz Beit Oren was evacuated, and only a few of the buildings are left. The fire is spreading in all directions. The kibbutzim of Ein Hud, Ein Oz and Nir Etzion have received orders to evacuate.

Bibi Netanyahu said that “we have never experienced a disaster like this” and asked for fire-fighting equipment to be flown in from various countries, including Greece and Russia.

Forty prison cadets from the center of the country, called in to rescue inmates from a prison threatened by fire, were killed when their bus overturned and was caught in the flames.

Here are phone numbers of hospitals in the north:

Rambam 1255144

Bnei Zion 1255145

Carmel 1255142

Only a few patients have been brought to hospitals so far.

Our thoughts are with the families of those injured and killed, and we hope that the fire will be put out soon. This is a huge ecological disaster as well.

Comments

  1. 4daughters says

    My brother-in-law in Nir Etzion has been evacuated. They were packing up their photo albums and family heirlooms to take with them when we spoke with them.

    Makes one realize 1) home/rental insurance is important, 2) what would you take if your house was threatened?

    My thoughts are with the families of the Prison Workers who were killed.

    We should all be praying for rain so this dry season will end.

    • The insurance is not important. I widely common practice here to send a sweet insurance broker but more often than not a shark professional lawyer when something really happens. They only pay after court AND under severe threat. Not worth the aggravation.

      • Insurance companies get bilked all the time. They have to protect their interests, and those of other insurance holders. Yes, there are horror stories. But people without insurance throw themselves on the mercy of the community when something happens.

    • 4daughters, it must be so hard for your family right now. I hope their home stays safe.

  2. terrible

    what’s a warden?

    is this fire attribute to the dry season? i guess that puts r. lichtenstein’s perspective in a different perspective

  3. So sad. I also heard the all the fireman in Israel are being sent up north. Even if that’s an exageration, I don’t think the Festival of Lights is the best time to pull fireman from their bases. I wonder if that is what was on the minds of the possible fire-starters. Rain! Rain! RAIN!

  4. Noa Friedman says

    Nir Etzion was told to evacuate but only
    a handful agreed, the rest remained.
    Ein Hud is the Arab village while Ein Hod
    is the artist village where some houses
    burned. Beit Oren burned and there was
    considerable damage. There was fire close
    to the Refet in Nir Etzion & the banana
    crops near the cemetery which is
    close to the Nir Etzion Mifal. The fire
    was put out. Yamin Orde suffered con-
    siderable damage. Most of the students
    were not at the school because of the
    holidays, and those that remained were
    moved when the fire broke out.

Trackbacks

  1. Wishing you light (but not fire) « In our small garden says:

    […] saved (Hebrew here) instead. Bloggers have done a great job covering the Carmel fire: please visit Mother in Israel, Matzo Ball soup, and lizrael update to read their reports and thoughts. There is already an effort […]