As fire spreads to West Bank, Mayor of Haifa says fire in city damages only property

Record ID: 77563

  • Title: As fire spreads to West Bank, Mayor of Haifa says fire in city damages only property
  • Date: 24th November 2016
  • Summary: JEBIYA, WEST BANK (NOVEMBER 24, 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF WOODS ON FIRE VARIOUS OF PEOPLE STANDING NEAR FIRE FIRE TRUCK VARIOUS OF PEOPLE TRYING TO EXTINGUISH FIRE FIRE TRUCK VARIOUS OF PEOPLE TRYING TO EXTINGUISH FIRE HAIFA, ISRAEL (NOVEMBER 24, 2016) (REUTERS) FIRE TRUCKS AT SCENE VARIOUS OF FIREFIGHTERS EXTINGUISHING FIRE MAN COVERING HIS FACE FROM SMOKE, FIREFIGHTERS AT SCENE FIREFIGHTERS AND MAN ENTERING FIRE-DAMAGED HOUSE WOMAN INSIDE FIRE-DAMAGED HOUSE FIREFIGHTERS AT FIRE-DAMAGED HOUSE RESCUE TEAM AT SCENE MAYOR OF HAIFA, YONA YAHAV, AT SCENE (SOUNDBITE) (English) MAYOR OF HAIFA, YONA YAHAV, SAYING: "As you see, the darkness came down. And we are still in the process of trying to extinguish the fire which is still going on. It is a first time in the history of the city that in very many positions, the fire broke off and caused damage. And thank God it didn't cause damage by people, the people did not get hurt. Only property." RESCUE TEAM AT SCENE VARIOUS OF FIRE FIRE TRUCKS AT SCENE MAN WALKING NEAR HOUSE ON FIRE RESIDENT OF HAIFA, NATI TESLAR, AT SCENE WINDOW OF HOUSE, FLAMES BURNING ON INSIDE OF HOUSE (SOUNDBITE) (English) RESIDENT OF HAIFA, NATI TESLAR, SAYING: "My mother's house just burned, completely. It will probably be demolished. As you can see these cracks are total lost, showing that the house is total lost. And that is it. The whole life of my mother, we were living here for more than 35 years. And that is it." VARIOUS OF HOUSE ON FIRE
  • Embargoed: 9th December 2016 21:36
  • Keywords: Israel Palestinians fire West Bank Haifa
  • Location: JEBIYA, WEST BANK / HAIFA, ISRAEL
  • City: JEBIYA, WEST BANK / HAIFA, ISRAEL
  • Country: Palestinian Territories
  • Topics: Environment,Weather
  • Reuters ID: LVA00159T2UKN
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Wildfires that tore across central and northern Israel on Thursday (November 24), spread to the West Bank village of Jebiya.
    People were seen trying to extinguish the flames that erupted in the woods.
    In Haifa city, people went back to check their burned houses and Mayor of Haifa, Yona Yahav said that the damage was only to property.
    "As you see, the darkness came down. And we are still in the process of trying to extinguish the fire which is still going on. It is a first time in the history of the city that in very many positions, the fire broke off and caused damage. And thank God it didn't cause damage by people, the people did not get hurt. Only property," he said.
    Wildfires forced tens of thousands of residents to flee the city of Haifa, as leaders blamed arsonists for some of the blazes and branded them terrorists.
    A resident of Haifa, Nati Teslar, said that his mother lost her house because of the fires.
    "My mother's house just burned, completely. It will probably be demolished. As you can see these cracks are total lost, showing that the house is total lost. And that is it. The whole life of my mother, we were living here for more than 35 years. And that is it," Teslar said.
    The fires have been burning in multiple locations for the past three days but intensified on Thursday, fuelled by unseasonably dry weather and strong easterly winds.
    With fires burning in the forests west of Jerusalem, around Haifa, on central and northern hilltops and in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the government sought assistance from neighbouring countries to tackle the conflagration.
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