Egypt aids Israel in combating massive fire

Egypt sent aid to Israel where firefighters are struggling to contain the worst wildfire in the country's history.

The flames continued advancing Friday morning despite local and international efforts to extinguish the blaze throughout the night.

As of Friday morning, 40 people had died in the blaze, which began Thursday morning on the slopes of Mt. Carmel, east of Haifa. The fires have consumed thousands of acres of vegetation, and forced nearly 13,000 people to evacuate their homes.

Flames reached the village of Tirat Mikarmel before dawn on Friday where residents had been evacuated Thursday night after it became clear that firefighters would not be able to contain the fire. Flames also burned four other villages that had previously been evacuated.

According to Israeli radio, firefighters succeeded in preventing the fire from reaching the main road that connects Haifa to Tel Aviv in the south.

The cause of the devastating burn is unclear. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the fire as "an unprecedented catastrophe," during his visit to the affected area Thursday evening.

A spokesman for the firefighters in Haifa said Thursday evening that firefighters had lost control of the fires, while Minister of Public Safety Yitzhak Aharonvich said it is impossible to determine when they will be able to contain the wildfires.

Spain, Greece and Cyprus rushed firefighting aircraft to Israel Friday morning, while Britain, Russia, Egypt, Azerbaijan, Romania and Bulgaria have sent additional aid. The United States plans to send a Boeing jet loaded with fire retardant chemicals.

In Washington, US President Barack Obama expressed his condolences to families of victims.

Translated from the Arabic Edition.