Jerusalem ( CNN ) -- Israeli police arrested two suspects Saturday in connection to a deadly wildfire raging in the country 's north , though a police spokesman said it appears the fires started out of negligence . The fires have killed 41 and injured 17 others . Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the suspects are being questioned at a local police station but police now believe the fires were due to negligence rather than arson . As the police probe unfolded , firefighters continued to battle three major blazes fueled by shifting winds . The fire , the worst in Israel 's history , is still not under control , Rosenfeld said . The flames spread over 10,000 acres around Haifa , Israel 's third largest city , threatening businesses , tourism and one of Israel 's greenest regions , Mount Carmel . `` If you look over the hills at Haifa , you can see smoke billowing over the sea , '' said Rosenfeld , adding that the winds have forced authorities to close down roads to the coastal area . About 17,000 people have been evacuated , but residential areas are not under threat , he said . On Saturday , Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to the help Israel received from other nations , including Egypt , Turkey and Jordan , as `` heartwarming , '' the Jerusalem Post reported . `` One thing is clear , the Israeli people are standing together and many , many countries are together with Israel . This is no small thing , '' Netanyahu said during a press conference . `` This is surely a point of light in this our festival of lights Hanukkah , '' he said . Israeli 's military noted in a statement Saturday that firefighters from Bulgaria and Greece had joined Israeli personnel on the blaze 's frontlines . Netanyahu 's office said that so far , several nations have committed 10 airplanes and three helicopters to help Israel fight the raging fire , including four from Greece , one from Cyprus , two from Turkey , two from Russia and one from France . These are in addition to several Israel Defense Forces aircraft , including two to four charged with surveying the region from above . British Prime Minister David Cameron instructed the Royal Air Force to deploy two helicopters from Cyprus to help put out the fire , British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Friday . Netanyahu spoke Saturday morning with the president of Switzerland to recruit additional air support , his office said . Five U.S. Defense Department aircraft will leave for Israel this weekend to help fight the fire . They include three C-130 firefighting aircraft from the U.S. Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard and two C-130s from the U.S. European Command , which will depart Ramstein Air Base in Germany carrying 20 tons of fire retardant , the U.S. Agency for International Development said . The agency said it has already chartered commercial aircraft to deliver 45 tons of fire retardant and 12,000 liters of foam to suppress the flames . A team of experts from the U.S. Forest Service 's Disaster Assistance Support Program is also heading to Israel , the agency said . Hague expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and to the thousands who have had to be evacuated because of the blaze . `` This tragedy is all the more sad as it comes as the Jewish community around the world celebrates Hanukkah , a time of hope and joy , '' Hague said . `` The UK will continue to do whatever it can to help . '' Two funerals took place Saturday after another eight were held Friday for those killed , Rosenfeld said . Most of the 41 victims were cadets in Israel 's prison service who arrived Thursday to help evacuate 500 inmates from the Damon prison near Haifa . Among the dead , 40 were apparently burned alive when their bus , traveling along a narrow mountain road , was engulfed by the fast-moving blaze , the Jerusalem Post reported . In an interview with the newspaper , a firefighter spokesman said the bus was gone in less than three minutes . `` The bus had no chance . They tried to escape but were burned alive , '' the spokesman said . `` It was a horrific scene . '' The IDF said the victims will be buried with full honors in military ceremonies . Israeli firefighter spokesman Yoram Levy said shifting 29 kph ( 18 mph ) winds made the inferno harder to control as flames neared a neighborhood in Haifa , a major tourist destination on the northern coast . Built on the slopes of Mount Carmel about 50 miles north of Tel Aviv , Haifa 's metropolitan area is also host to historical sites that date to Biblical times . The fire has also threatened a sensitive ecological area near the Hai Bar nature reserve . Known as Mount Carmel 's `` Little Switzerland , '' the reserve is home to a wildlife preservation project that seeks to bring back native species mentioned in the Old Testament . Though Israel is known for its military might , it has been criticized for failing to properly handle the blazes . CNN 's Paul Colsey contributed to this report .
NEW : Firefighters from Greece , Bulgaria among international forces aiding fight . Fires , fueled by shifting winds , are still not under control . 17 suspects have been arrested . The fire has killed Two people and injured Two .