Dozens of people were rescued by firefighting teams on Tuesday morning after a massive blaze engulfed a residential building complex in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Romema.
According to Hebrew-language media reports, some residents tried to jump from buildings as flames spread from the fire, which started in a parking lot.
The Kan public broadcaster reported that one individual was lightly injured when he leapt from a second-floor window.
Additionally, a number of people suffered from mild smoke inhalation. The buildings were said to be home to dozens of families, many with children.
The regional fire service commander told Channel 12 news that the blaze could have been prevented or its severity reduced with a number of basic protocols.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the
terms
“The fire we dealt with this morning had a large number of complex threat scenarios in the civilian urban space. Old buildings without modern means of protection, a high population density, residential apartments with makeshift storage areas and many other risks,” said Nissim Twito, commander of the Fire and Rescue Services in Jerusalem.
“Civil discipline and strict adherence to basic safety rules, as well as the installation of smoke detectors, are the best and most effective guarantee for preventing fires and reducing their damage,” Twito said.
We can't do this work alone.
The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident – ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded – I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.
There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.
As a Times of Israel reporter, I’m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit’s. But my colleagues and I can't do this alone. If you value work like this, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.
— Stav Levaton, military reporter
Yes, I'll join
Yes, I'll join
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
