Fire in Jerusalem: 3 Seriously Injured, 45 Lightly

Dozens were rescued today (Monday) from a building that caught fire on David Yellin Street in Jerusalem. The condition of three injured is defined as serious, two in moderate condition and 43 in light condition. The building serves as a seminary and dormitory for girls, and the fire investigator from the fire department estimates that the fire broke out due to an electrical short.

According to the Fire and Rescue spokesperson, the firefighters who arrived at the scene identified a fire on the top floor of the building. The teams entered the building, identified a large number of girls trapped in smoke and fire, and the firefighters rescued them from the burning structure. At the same time as the rescue operations, the firefighters worked to extinguish the fire and prevent its spread and the smoke from affecting the entire building.

MDA reported: "A report was received at the MDA's 101 hotline in the Jerusalem area about a fire in a residential building. MDA paramedics and EMTs provided medical treatment to the injured." Among those seriously injured is the seminary's security guard, who entered the building and began assisting with rescue.

Eliahu Ben Hamo, an emergency medical responder from MDA's motorcycle unit, said: "We arrived at the scene in large forces and saw a lot of smoke coming from the building. We joined forces with the firefighters who brought out the injured from inside. We began an initial triage of the injured, all of whom were fully conscious. We saw 3 seriously injured and 2 moderately injured who suffered from smoke inhalation, and a few young people walking near the building. We started providing initial medical treatment while loading them into MDA intensive care units and ambulances and evacuating them to different hospitals in the city."