Fire causes ‘significant damage’ to renowned Ima restaurant in downtown Jerusalem

A fire broke out at the famed Ima restaurant near the Mahane Yehuda market in downtown Jerusalem on Thursday night, causing what was described as significant damage to the building.

Seven firefighting teams arrived at the scene and established control over the blaze after an hour of intense operations, preventing it from spreading to nearby buildings, the Israel Fire and Rescue Services said in a statement.

Firefighters searched the restaurant and determined that no one had been injured or trapped inside, but that “significant damage” was caused to the structure, and there was a fear that the roof would collapse, the statement read.

An investigation was underway into the cause of the blaze.

There were no immediate updates on the state of the building on Friday.

The Ima restaurant is located on the corner of HaRav Shmuel Baruch and Ben Tsvi Streets, specializing in Iraqi and Kurdish food, and is most famous for its kubbeh soup.