The sight, and smell, of hell on earth
The sight, and smell, of hell on earth
I had been in Haifa to report on an event, was inside of a windowless building from the fire’s beginnings.
By SHARON UDASIN
12/3/2010 7:48:45 AM
Photo by: Associated Press
Orion and his belt stood tall in the sky as my silent bus rolled out of Haifa’s Hof Hacarmel station and past the sprawling Carmel fires on Thursday evening, en route to Jerusalem.
Smog clouded most of the night sky as the ever-growing flames created a scene – and a smell – that could really be none other than hell on earth. From miles and miles away, as we traveled down the coastline, the orange flames ate away at a forest whose trails and beauty are a place of respite for so many Israelis and tourists alike. From the window of the eerily quiet bus, I watched it all crumble.
I had been in Haifa that day to report on an event and was inside of a windowless building from the fire’s beginnings until about 5 p.m., disconnected from Wi-Fi and quite unaware of the horror taking place in our backyard, until the journalist next to me received a worried SMS from a friend. Alarmed, we immediately found an Internet connection and anxiously sought some information.
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