Firefighters and volunteers from the Yehuda Regional Station worked on Saturday night to extinguish a fire that broke out in a synagogue on Rabbi Akiva Street in the Haredi city of Beitar Illit.
An apartment located near the synagogue was also damaged.
Severe damage was caused to property.
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Reshef Lichi Ben Lulu, shift commander: "Around midnight we received a report of a building on fire on Rabbi Akiva Street. We immediately went to the scene with large forces.
Upon arrival at the scene, we identified a building used as a synagogue, adjacent to a residential apartment - which was on fire. The flames reached the floors above the fire, and there was concern that the fire would spread to additional apartments. We immediately began operations to extinguish the fire, while simultaneously searching for trapped people.
"Another team went up to the upper floors, ordered the residents to shelter in place, and worked to reduce the flames and release heat and smoke. Upon completion of the firefighting operations, we conducted another scan to rule out any trapped people.".
Lieutenant Commander Tamir Erez, commander of the Yehuda Regional Station: "Last Thursday, another fire occurred in the city of Beitar Illit, a fire that ended without any casualties, but with heavy property damage. There were no casualties in this fire either, thanks to the efforts of the firefighters.
""I ask in every language of request: Install a smoke detector, it saves lives. The cost of the detector is minimal, and its installation is simple, and it has been proven that it saves lives. When I visited the city rabbis a few months ago, the city rabbis ordered the installation of smoke detectors in every home! This way we can protect ourselves and those dear to us.""
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