12 Rescued From Apartment Fire in Netanya High-Rise

A fire broke out Thursday in an apartment inside an eight-story residential building on Macdonald Street in Netanya. Firefighters and rescue teams were called to the scene and first pulled out a mother and her two children, then rescued 12 more people trapped in the building.

According to Magen David Adom, several of the injured were taken to hospital for further treatment, including children aged 3 to 5. Two victims were listed in moderate condition and two more in mild condition. United Hatzalah said its medics treated seven people for smoke inhalation, among them two 5-year-old children who were moderately hurt, and five others, including two adults and three children ages 2 to 3, who were lightly injured.

Fire crews brought the blaze under full control and prevented it from spreading to the rest of the building. All of the trapped residents were examined at the scene and given initial medical care. Teams continued searching all apartments, clearing smoke and ventilating the structure to ensure no one remained inside.

In an initial assessment, residents of the building were instructed to stay inside their apartments until firefighting and rescue operations were completed.