A forest fire that killed 42 people in northern Israel's Carmel region has been extinguished. Israeli police said efforts to beat down the blaze, which erupted on Thursday, were helped by overnight rains, a rarity in a parched winter for Israel. Police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld said all of the fires were officially extinguished as of midnight. A major commercial hub said the blaze was stopped before it could threaten the nearby port city of Haifa. Two people suspected of setting the fire by accident have been arrested on charges of criminal negligence. Israeli media, which assessed the cost of the damage at around 2 billion shekels, said most of the foreign firefighters who had answered Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's appeal for help would return home later today.