NEW YORK - New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is thanking the U.S. Forest Service for sending a plane load of fire retardant chemicals to Israel to help battle a deadly forest fire.

The Thursday night shipment was arranged with the help of the New York City Fire Department after a request from Israel's Acting Consul General in New York.

Israel's national rescue service says at least 36 people have died in the wake of the massive forest fire in northern Israel that broke out early Thursday.

Many of the deaths occurred when a bus evacuating people from the area went up in flames.

Authorities are still trying to determine the cause of the blaze. Israel experienced an especially hot summer and has had little rain this winter.

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