[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUEqbLVfpGc&feature=fvsr[/youtube]
A private American company has sent the world’s largest firefighting plane to help Israel fight the Carmel fire.
The international community has poured out assistance to Israel as it struggles against the worst fire on record. Turkey, Greece, the United States, Russia and Britain are among thirteen nations that have demonstrated their support. As the fire that has engulfed over 10,000 acres rages on, the United States has dispatched the most sophisticated firefighting tools available.
Russia sent its Ilyushin-76 early this morning. The plane carries up 42,000 liters of water that can be dumped within seven seconds, reports Haaretz, though it requires up to one hour to reload.
A private American aviation company is sending its Evergreen 747 supertanker with a capacity of 95,000 liters, or twice as much water as the Russian plane. It is the largest firefighting plane in the world and has been used regularly to fight California’s wildfires.
The United States Defense Department is sending three C-130 planes from its Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard, and an additional two C-130s that will take off from Ramstein Air base in Germany, according to a CNN report.
While arsonists were originally suspected for causing the fire, CNN reports that Israeli police suspect one family’s negligence caused the fire.
Funerals were held for some of the victims who were trapped in a bus that caught fire and the country continues to mourn its extraordinary loss of human and wild life, as well as a cherished nature reserve in the Carmel Mountains.
President Netanyahu has promised to show its appreciation to Turkey, which has stepped in with unconditional assistance despite earlier tensions.
Officials say that it could take one week before the fire is under control.
More about the Carmel Fire:
Israel Carmel Fire Rages On And Kills 40
What’s At Stake For UNESCO Nature Reserve
The UNESCO Reserve for People, Prophets and Wildlife
Author: Tafline Laylin
As a tour leader who led “eco-friendly” camping trips throughout North America, Tafline soon realized that she was instead leaving behind a trail of gas fumes, plastic bottles and Pringles. In fact, wherever she traveled – whether it was Viet Nam or South Africa or England – it became clear how inefficiently the mandate to re-think our consumer culture is reaching the general public. Born in Iran, raised in South Africa and the United States, she currently splits her time between Africa and the Middle East. Tafline can be reached at tafline (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
..at a price of $26,000 an hour…just goes to prove that what you don’t spend in pro-active policy making, you’ll spend on human lives, homes and wild life destroyed, and nature altered.
I was at the wonderful Niso Music Box Museum in Ein Hod before it was destroyed.
Israel did NOT purchase the Supertanker, it is on lease from Evergreen.
The Supertanker is ideal for fighting fires in Israel because it can care more fire retardant/water/etc. than any plane on the planet, plus it has a reinforced wing structure which allows it to make steep dives in and out of mountainous areas with extremely heavy loads which other fire fighting aircraft can’t do. It can also stay in the air for longer periods of time and wait out the frequent wind changes of wildfires.
“FireIsGone” – I ask you this…
Now which is a greater waste, to have a bunch of little planes fly out, dump a bucket of water on the fire, then race back to refill fuel and water, or have a huge plane come out, dump several swimming pools of water on the fire, hang around for awhile as the wind shifts, then dump several more swimming pools and finally return to base?
I think Israel needed all the help it could get and that the swimming pool solution was welcomes. The best idea would be to have all the MENA region countries that get along ie Spain, Greece, Portgual, Turkey… service and run a fire-fighting fleet which can be rented or deployed to any country in the region when a call is made.
It’s the only plane that can fight fire at night!
This is a puzzle to me.
Israel has purchased Evergreen Aviation’s super tanker
to take of the fire.
Well,as we currently have over 40 different airplanse from variuos countries and the fire is under control, what is the need for this giant airplan?
Purley a waste of tax payer’s money!!!