Flames at site of Intel factory blast under control, say firefighters

The Fire and Rescue Service says it has the flames from the blast at Intel’s Kiryat Gat factory under control.

After police said a gas cylinder had apparently exploded, the Fire and Rescue Service says “the incident involved nitrogen trifluoride gas,” a toxic oxidizer that is not flammable on its own.

Units trained to handle hazardous material are “assessing the involvement of the material in the incident,” the service says, calling on the public not to come to the area.

Meanwhile, the Magen David Adom ambulance service says the three workers who suffered severe burns from the blast were hospitalized in serious condition, including two men aged roughly 30 and 50, both of whom medics revived through CPR and electric shocks after finding them with no pulse and not breathing.

The two men’s condition is considered unstable and they are both in an induced coma and breathing with the help of a ventilator, MDA says.

The third wounded worker is a 26-year-old man, who is in stable condition, according to the ambulance service.