Peres on Carmel fire: We are praying for a miracle

President expresses concerns over fire near the Druze village of Usfiya which left 40 dead, dozens injured; PM commends rescuers.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Peres head 311 (photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
Peres head 311
(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
President Shimon Peres on Thursday reacted to the fire that was raging in the Carmel area and said that "we are praying for the fire to stop."
In reaction to reports 40 people were dead, Peres said that "as we celebrate the festival of Hanukka we are praying for a miracle."
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The fire, which broke out near the Druze village of Usfiya in the North on Thursday morning, was spreading and threatened villages in the area after already having burned some 6,000 dunams.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu expressed his support for the search and rescue teams that were working in the area of the fire that broke near the Druze village of Usfiya.
The prime minister highlighted that the main aim is save lives and protect the lives of those that are involved in the rescue efforts.
Netanyahu said that "we have never known a tragedy of this scope."
"I have spoken to Defense Minister Ehud Barak to mobilize all possible IDF forces in an attempt to stop the fire. We will need to learn a number of lessons in order to cope with tragedies like this, however at the moment everything is being done to save lives," the prime minister said.