Dozens hurt in high-rise fire near Tel Aviv

Video: Yaron Brenner  

Some residents were reportedly trapped in the building on Jabotinsky Street, a main thoroughfare that has been closed to traffic. However, firefighters apparently managed to rescue all those trapped.

Some residents trapped (Photo: Yaron Brenner)

The blaze broke out on the upper floors of an eight-story residential building. Firefighting, police and ambulance teams rushed to the scene and treated the wounded, before evacuating them to hospital. The firefighters were also contending with the rain that began pouring down shortly after the fire broke out.

Due to the severity of the blaze, firefighters from across the region, as well as cadets, were called in to offer assistance.

Top floors on fire (Photo: Eli Mor)

Volunteer paramedic Eli Levin said the building in question is a relatively old on.

"The seventh floor apartment completely burned down," he said. "People on the top floors are breathing through the windows and we're trying to rescue them. People came out of the building completely covered in soot."

A pregnant woman rescued from the building got contractions as a result of the pani, Levin said.

Eli Mor, who lives across the street, told Ynet: "I saw them rescuing two people waving from the last floor, and then the third floor again caught fire."

"I see people trapped, standing out on the balconies and yelling. There are plenty of cruisers, ambulances, and firefighters," he said. "They also brought cranes and a police chopper is in the air."

Volunteer paramedic Ezrial Gross, who also called to the scene of the fire, told Ynet: "The seventh floor is on fire. All injured suffered from smoke inhalation. There are two police choppers hovering above us, and we're currently evacuating the injured to Beilinson hospital."

Tali Zin, Yaron Druckman, and Meital Yasur-Beit Or contributed to the report