Nine children around the age of six were rescued Friday night from the Omen boarding school in Afula, after a fire erupted in the building. Six of the children suffered from smoke inhalation and five were taken to Emek Medical Center for treatment.
The fire erupted around 10:30 pm in a building housing children up to the age of seven. Firefighters and rescue services were called to the scene and extinguished the flames within half an hour.
Firefighters inside building (Photo: Hagai Aharon)
An official at the firefighting department said that some of the children were sleeping when the fire erupted: "Most children left the building on their own or with the help of the guides. The building was smoky and we first made sure no children were left inside. In some of the rooms we found kids who were still sleeping, and we had to wake them up gently, so as not to alarm them."
An initial probe into the incident suggested that the fire was caused by an electric malfunction in an underground fortified room.
The Emek Medical Center stated that most children suffered light injuries, while a few were in light to moderate condition.