The Fire and Rescue Regional Department in Beit Shemesh received a call on Sunday afternoon regarding smoke coming from a synagogue on Ilanot Path in Mevaseret Zion.

Three Fire and Rescue crews rushed to the scene and arrived in just a few moments. The units came from Mevaseret and Beit Shemesh. The unit who arrived at the scene understood that a full-fledged fire was about to break out in the Synagogue. They broke into the building, gained control of the fire and prevented it from spreading to the rest of the building.

The building as well as numerous holy items were lightly damaged due to the fire and resulting smoke. The Beit Shemesh Fire and Rescue Department has opened an inquiry into the cause of the incident.

The Commanding officer of the unit that operated at the scene, Lieutenant Ayal Levy said: “There was a reported fire that broke out in a synagogue on the Ilanot Path in Western Mevaseret Zion. We arrived in short order and saw smoke rising from the building. We broke into the building and put out the fire while it was still in its initial stages, minutes before the synagogue would have turned into a conflagration. I am very happy to report that due to the conscientiousness of the citizens nearby and the professionalism of our teams in Mevaseret Zion, we managed to arrive quickly and prevent irreversible damage to the synagogue, the holy articles stored therein and the community as a whole that prays here.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)