A patient died in a fire that broke out Sunday night in one of the wards in the respiratory department at Kaplan Hospital in Rehovot.
Hospital employees were able to rescue him from the flames in critical condition before firefighters arrived, but he succumbed to his injuries a short time later.
Firefighters who arrived at the scene extinguished the flames. According to a preliminary assessment, the was caused by an electrical short circuit.
A spokesperson for fire and rescue services said that firefighters from the Rehovot station were called to the scene and began operations to ventilate the building and prevent the spread of the fire. All hospitalized patients were evacuated from the ward.
Kaplan Hospital said, "A fire broke out in a specific spot in the hospital, apparently from an electrical source. The fire was extinguished immediately, but during the fire, unfortunately, a patient died. The circumstances of the fire are under comprehensive investigation by hospital officials in cooperation with the fire department."