A fire broke out late Monday on the 22nd floor of the Azrieli Town tower in Midtown, Tel Aviv, drawing eight fire crews to the luxury high-rise. Investigators suspect the blaze began when a cigarette was lit on a balcony.
Firefighters said the building’s 50 floors were evacuated for more than half an hour after alarms triggered. One resident told local media that people — some from high floors — had to descend the stairs and wait outside with their pets while rain fell. No casualties were reported.
Fire breaks out on the 22nd floor of the Azrieli Town tower in Midtown, Tel Aviv
(Video: Fire and Rescue Services, Ori Pinchasi )
The fire is the latest in a troubling recent trend of deadly high-rise blazes. In late November, a catastrophic fire at the Wang Fuk Court apartment complex in Hong Kong razed seven residential towers and killed at least 159 people, marking the city’s worst housing-estate disaster in decades. Authorities later arrested construction officials on manslaughter and negligence charges, citing use of flammable scaffolding mesh that accelerated the blaze.
The Hong Kong fire reignited global concerns about building safety, fire-code enforcement and risks posed by renovation practices, prompting government crackdowns and calls for sweeping reforms.