A firefighter examines the debris left over from the Rehovot house fire on Tuesday (photo credit: Yossi Zeliger/Flash90)
The investigation of a fire in March that killed six family members and destroyed their Rehovot home has found that the blaze was caused by a laptop, which overheated and set fire to a mattress.
Guy Shire, 38, and his children Eliav, 12, Eviatar, 8, Amitai, 7, Shira, 3, and Itamar, 2, were killed in the blaze.
Rescue services personnel remove the bodies of the victims (photo credit: Yossi Zeliger/Flash90)
Neighbors said the father rushed into the home and tried to save his children but got trapped in the blaze. The house, at 61 Israel Najara street, was already engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived. Neither parent was present when the fire broke out.
Initial reports had indicated the blaze may have been sparked by a loose electrical outlet near the parents’ bed, which may have been connected to a mobile phone charger or similar device. In fact, the investigation showed Monday, it was a laptop computer on the bed that overheated and sparked the fire. Police said the house was hooked up to the electricity grid haphazardly.
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