Jerusalem – Police announced they had detained an additional four suspects in connection with Sunday’s massive forest fire near Hadassah-University Hospital, Ein Kerem, which claimed more than 1,000 dunams (250 acres) of forest land and damaged some 23 vehicles in a nearby parking lot.
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Among those arrested were three 15-year-olds from a group of yeshiva students that had been hiking in the area. On Sunday police had detained several other members of the group.
A police spokesman added that the yeshiva head had also been questioned on Monday. By early evening, all of those who had been in custody were released on bail, the spokesman said.
The yeshiva students were questioned over their possible role in starting the fire by “negligence,” although police offered few additional details.
Sunday’s fire, which started around 1:30 p.m. and quickly spread out of control, scorched an entire patch of the Aminadav Forest between the Hadassah campus and the nearby communities of Ora, Even Sapir and Aminadav.
According to a spokeswoman from the Jewish National Fund, a second fire was ignited in the same area around 3:30 p.m., hampering firefighters’ efforts to quash the blaze.
As the flames drew closer to the hillside communities, sections of Ora and Aminadav were evacuated with the help of police, as scores of firefighters from both area localities and the JNF battled the blaze.
Across the valley, the flames drew dangerously close to the hospital, prompting authorities to weigh a potential evacuation, though this proved unnecessary. With the help of two airborne firefighting units, which doused the flames from above, the fire spreading toward the hospital was brought under control at about 4 p.m.
It would be another two hours before the flames approaching Ora and Aminadav were similarly subdued, but by 6 p.m., firefighters had begun to contain the blaze, and area residents were allowed to begin returning home.
On Sunday night, police announced that an initial investigation had pointed to the group of yeshiva students, who police said had started the fire through “negligence” and then left the scene after the flames spread out of control, (as was reported here on VIN News).
It remained unclear on Monday evening if those who had been detained for questioning would be charged, and if so, what they were to be charged with.
Clearly, this bochur and his parents must be held responsible to compensate all those who were damaged by the fire, including both public and private parties. If the rabbonim and yeshiva were also negligent and/or knowingly fled the scene when the fire they started went out of control, the are also responsible legally. Its up to the courts to decide how much they should pay if they are shown negligent. Its time to hold the parent of these bochurim responsible for the children’s actions.
Sad story, kids playing with fire, and look at the results.
And who days that those young teens are responsible for the fire, because they were hiking there before the fire? Let’s find out who else was hiking there.
Was it not Haddasah hospital that has a long history of being anti frum. Forced authopsies were done for years against religious Jews. Justice indeed.
The Hospital has enough financial problems as it is even without this tragic fire that destroyed many vehicles belonging to staff and employees as well as threatening the lives of patients and visitors. I hope the police prosecute these “hikers”, whether chareidi or otherwise to the fullest extent of the law for every NIS of damage caused. There is no excuse for such negligence and the parents of the boys, if they are found responsible, must be made to pay, whether it was intentional or simply negligence.
Please daven that the police catch the real culprits that caused this tragedy and impose a severe punishment to deter this behavior from repeating. It happens all too often because both the bochurim and their adult supervisors don’t believe there will be any consequence for their reckless behavior. I can assure you there will be no demonstrations to free these bochurim and rabbonim from jail if they are found guility of causing this fire.
I think the schools must collectively take their heads out of the sand and teach the kids how to be a mentsch in the world…. They should make a deal where the kids who did this must do community service, and all of the neighborhood schools must invite firemen to speak to the kids and give the firemen appropriate kavod (e.g. stand up for them). They should also bus the children to the site of the fire to view the damage first hand, but carefully watch the kids reactions and follow up afterwards.
yes They should force them They should force them to pay They should force their parents to pay They should force their principal to pay every penny!!!! whats going on here? you guys don’t even know the story yet. already you want to hang the kid!
I love the presumption that it must have been someone else, not the bochurim. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t. That’s what we have investigations for. But the reflexive accusation of the victim – Hadassah Hospital – and defense of the only suspect shows a truly alarming disdain for justice in the hearts of the readers.