Firefighters responded early Tuesday morning to an apartment fire in a four-story building in Beit Shemesh's Ramah A, rescuing a family of eight from a burning apartment.
By miracle, despite the fact that the family members had fallen asleep just prior to the fire breaking out, one of the children woke up and smelled the fire, which originated in the kitchen.
The child then went to wake his father, who called for help from the balcony. A passerby who was walking in the street called the firefighters, who broke into the burning apartment and saved the family.
When the firefighters arrived at the apartment, firefighting teams sought the source of the flames, while the rescue teams placed a ladder to evacuate the family, who were trapped on the balcony. The father was evacuated with his six children, and the mother was later evacuated by firefighters, by means of the stairwell.
The family were then evacuated by medical teams, and determined to be in good condition.
An investigation of the fire showed that flammable material had been placed near the hotplate on the stove, which had an open flame. This material rose in temperature throughout the night, until it set on fire.
The Fire and Rescue Services emphasized the importance of placing smoke detectors in homes, to warn when a fire breaks out.