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Tens of thousands flee fires as Israeli leaders blame Arab minority for arson

Xinhua, November 25, 2016 Adjust font size:

Tens of thousands of people fled roaring bushfires in Haifa, Israel's third-largest city, on Thursday, as the country's leaders blamed Palestinians for intentionally starting the fire.

Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan told reporters that "up to half" of the fires over the past days had been "arson terror," and transportation minister, Israel Katz, accused Arab Palestinian citizens of Israel.

Speaking at a press conference in Haifa, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "any arson or incitement for arson is an act of terror. Whoever try to burn down parts of Israel will be punished."

Arab lawmakers reacted angrily on the accusation, saying the statements were inciting against the country's Arab minority.

The fire was most serious in Haifa. Spreading quickly through the dry air and windy weather, the blaze forced at least 60,000 people to leave their homes in the coastal city of Haifa.

No serious injuries were reported, but more than 100 people were hospitalized after they inhaled smoke, the medical emergency service said in a statement.

In an unusual move, the Homefront Command called up 300 firefighter reservists from two Search and Rescue battalions in Haifa, a military spokesperson said in a statement.

Following a request for international assistance, 12 firefighting planes and a helicopter arrived on Thursday to help put out the fire. The aircrafts were sent by Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Russia, Italy, Britain, and Croatia.

Netanyahu said that the 747 Supertanker, the world's largest firefighting plane, was on its way from Colorado, United States, to Israel.

The Hebrew-language Ynet news site reported that Israel had accepted an offer by the Palestinian National Authority to send four firefighting vehicles to help in the straggle to gain control over the fire.

MetaoTech weather service said the dry and windy weather conditions are expected to continue until the beginning of next week.

Police Spokeswoman Luba Samri said the police are still investigating if arson caused some of the fires.

In 2010, a massive forest fire in the Carmel ridge in northern Israel, which broke out amidst similar weather conditions, raged for days and killed 42 people. The media harshly criticized Netanyahu for procrastinating in asking help from foreign countries. The incident led to a reform in the firefighting services, including the establishment of an airborne firefighting squadron. Endit