Firefighters gain control over large fire in Carmel

More than 15 fire crews battle the wildfire; residents allowed to return home after being evacuated as precautionary measure.

Firefighters outside Jerusalem 370 (photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem)
Firefighters outside Jerusalem 370
(photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem)
More than 15 fire crews scrambled to tackle a large wildfire on Mount Carmel on Thursday, managing to stop the flames before they spread to apartment buildings in a Haifa neighborhood.
Fire trucks and personnel flooded the area on the outskirts of Haifa’s Neveh Sha’anan neighborhood, working for two hours to bring the flames under control.
Several streets were blocked off and a number of homes were evacuated, with some residents suffering from light smoke inhalation.
Firefighting planes joined the battle against the blaze once the flames had moved away from high power electric lines.
At the peak of the fire, plumes of smoke could be seen rising over sections of Haifa, and police sealed off several roads to traffic.
Soon after the blaze was put out, police reported a second fire spreading in a valley near Kiryat Tivon. Fire crews rushed to the new scene and managed to gain control of the situation within an hour.
Police and firefighters are investigating the cause of the blazes.