(update: the title is based on this Hebrew report here, since then the publicly reported narrative has changed. There are still reports of unsolved arson cases - with the omitted assumption of nationality of the culprits)
Two nabbed on suspicion of lighting fires in North
Police Insp.-Gen. David Cohen said that the two arson suspects arrested earlier in the day are not linked to the main fire on the Carmel Mountain, at a press conference Friday evening.
Cohen said that investigators have determined that the large fire, which is raging in the Carmel, spread from a single ignition point. He added that the cause of the fire, either arson or negligence, would probably be determined by Saturday.
The police inspector-general said that there were, however, a number of suspected arson attacks in the North, but that the cause of the large Carmel fire was still unknown.
Police have said that additional fires in Kiryat Bialik and Tivon were both caused by arson.
A separate wildfire was reported Friday afternoon in a field near Route 70, in the southern Carmel mountains near Bat Shlomo (south of Haifa). Route 70 was closed to traffic in both directions.
Earlier on Friday, police found a bike, a bag, and a wig inside near a fire center in Tzur Shalom, leading them to believe that the fire was caused by an arsonist or arsonists.
Police Spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told the Post that there are 3 fire centers - Tzur Shalom, the Atlit - Tirat Hacarmel area, and the Carmel hillsides. In one, Tzur Shalom, north of Haifa, "we located suspicious items pointing to arson. As for the other two major fires, it is too early and the incidents are to large in scale to know their causes at this stage." The death toll in the fires rose to 42 on Friday, according to Army Radio.
The mostly unreliable site 'Debka' is reporting 'Israel may be facing a wave of deliberately-set fires', claiming outside orchestration.
Meanwhile, the Jerusalem Post is quotes Israeli police:
'Source of Carmel fire was burning trash, not arson'
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