Pullout foes torch gas depot
Disaster narrowly averted in Rehovot, south of Tel Aviv, after pullout objectors torch gas depot near residential building, write anti-Sharon slogans nearby. Quick action by firefighters prevents giant explosion
Fire fighters managed to put out the fire and prevented what would have been a huge explosion. Police officials are treating the incident with severity and have set up a special team to investigate the crime.
The police characterized the incident as a "miracle," and said forces were stunned to discover someone poured a flammable substance on the underground gas depot's faucet. The depot contains a huge amount of gas for the benefit of area residents.
Police vow to catch 'madman'
Rehovot Fire Department Commander Shimon Gamliel told Ynet luck played a part in averting the disaster. He said a call came in around 3 a.m. regarding a small fire, but once firefighters arrived at the scene they realized the severity of the incident.
"The fire began spreading, along with a gas leak that resulted from the open valves," he said. ""Fortunately, it was an underground gas depot, with only its valves being above the ground."
"If this was a ground-level gas depot, it would have likely exploded and caused a disaster," he said. "Another thing working in our favor was the greenery around the depot, which slowed down the fire."
Police estimate the incident marked an attempt to exact a human toll, police commander Yifrach Duvdevani said following the incident.
"We'll invest plenty of effort to catch the madman who carried out the incident, which in our view is akin to an attempt to stage a terror attack," he said. "We mustn't forget that a residential building is located 30 meters (about 100 feet) away from the gas depot."
After the fire was extinguished, firefighters found rags drenched in a flammable substance attached to the open gas valves and sent them for lab tests, Gamliel said.
Fake bomb at bus station
Last month, Jerusalem's central bus station was paralyzed after pullout objectors placed a fake bomb in the station with the caption: "The disengagement will explode in your face." Later police detained two ultra-Orthodox soldiers in connection with the incident.
Police dispatched large forces and sappers to the scene, fearing the device was an actual bomb. The station was also evacuated as a precaution.
Sappers worked for about an hour to neutralize the device, before they realized it was a dummy bomb.
