Electric Car Crash Sparks Deadly Fire in Rishon Lezion Underground Garage

A fatal fire in an underground parking garage in Rishon Lezion, which claimed one life, was caused by an electric vehicle crashing into a wall at high speed before igniting. The incident occurred Sunday night around 11:30 PM in the basement level of a residential building in the Neve Hof neighborhood.

Investigators believe the Zeekr electric car entered the garage at approximately 100 km/h (62 mph) and collided with a wall. The impact is thought to have caused the battery to ignite, with initial assessments ruling out a battery malfunction as the primary cause. The fire quickly spread to other vehicles parked nearby.

Heavy smoke filled the garage and began to spread into the 20-story residential building, prompting residents to shelter in their apartments and leading to a power cut. Seventeen fire trucks and 34 firefighters responded to the scene and worked for about three hours to extinguish the blaze, search the area, and prevent further spread.

During the firefighting operations, a man was discovered inside one of the burning vehicles. Firefighters worked to rescue him from the intense smoke and transfer him to medical personnel. Despite their efforts, the man was pronounced dead at the scene. Firefighters continued to ventilate the garage and conduct searches to ensure no one else was trapped.

The circumstances of the incident are still under investigation, but the preliminary findings strongly suggest the collision preceded the vehicle's ignition and the subsequent fire.