Underground Fire Rages for Hours at Future BIG Mall Construction Site in Petah Tikva

A fire broke out today in the underground parking lot at the construction site of the future BIG shopping complex in Petah Tikva. The first report of the fire came around 16:00, and heavy smoke forced the closure of Jabotinsky Road and Moshe Dayan Road, two major routes in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. Firefighters have been battling the blaze for over four hours, focusing on extinguishing hotspots and clearing the dense smoke, but have yet to fully control the fire. The fire originated in an area where plastic materials and pipes were stored. Authorities urged the public to avoid the area to allow emergency crews to operate effectively. The Petah Tikva municipality warned that firefighting efforts in the underground parking are expected to continue into the night and advised nearby residents to keep windows closed and avoid the smoke-filled vicinity. The fire started on Saturday when the construction site was unoccupied, so there were no casualties. Despite the absence of workers, firefighters remain on site working to extinguish the fire completely.