Jerusalem seminary fire leaves 48 injured

Three victims in critical condition and dozens more in moderate or light condition after a fire tore through a seminary dormitory in Jerusalem.

By World Israel News Staff

Nearly 50 people were injured on Monday after a fire broke out at a seminary in Jerusalem.

The fire erupted Monday morning in the seminary’s dormitory on David Yellin Street in the capital.

Jerusalem district firefighters were called to the scene to battle the blaze and rescue victims inside the building, while emergency first responders from United Hatzalah and Magen David Adom (MDA) were dispatched to treat the injured.

Of the 48 victims treated, three are listed in critical condition, according to United Hatzalah, with two in moderate condition, with the remaining 43 in light condition.

According to MDA, the three most seriously injured victims range in age from 18 to 25, while the two victims listed in moderate condition have been identified as an 18-year-old man and a 32-year-old man.

“The fire broke out in a residential building that partly serves as a girls’ seminary,” Dr. Aryeh Yaffe, a volunteer doctor with United Hatzalah, and United Hatzalah volunteer EMTs Ariel Drey and Zevi Klein reported from the scene.

“We provided initial medical assistance to numerous casualties, including three men who ran into the building to rescue to victims and 14 girls who were evacuated by United Hatzalah ambulances.

“Additionally, medical teams treated three critically injured victims at the scene, along with two girls in moderate condition and dozens with minor injuries. Large firefighting forces operated at the scene to extinguish the flames and rescue those trapped in the burning building.”

MDA paramedic Eliyahu Ben-Hamo recalled the scene from the fire: “We got there with a large number of units, and we saw a lot of fire coming out from the building.”

“We linked up with firefighter units” who brought the victims to the MDA paramedics, he added. “We then began the triage screening of the victims.

“All victims were fully conscious, we saw three victims in severe condition, two in moderate condition suffering from smoke inhalation, and several young people who were walking near the building. We began administering initial medical treatment while loading them onto MDA ambulances and taking them to various hospitals in the city.”