Update 2:35 PM: The three-year-old Arab child critically burned in this morning’s gas tank explosion in Jerusalem has died.
A three-year-old Arab girl was critically injured and four others are being treated for burns from a gas explosion in the Silwan Valley neighborhood in Jerusalem.
A 24-year-old woman and a five-year-old boy also suffered serious burns, and a 50-year-old man sustained moderate injuries when two gas tanks exploded at a home.
The injured are being treated at Shaarei Tzedek Hospital.
Firefighters evacuated people trapped in the home and put out the fire that was ignited by the explosion, and investigators are trying to determine the cause of the blast.
A Jewish presence in Silwan, where Jews used to live under the British Mandate before they were expelled by the authorities in the face of Arab riots, has been met by frequent terrorist attacks by Arabs, usually rock-throwing and assaults on drivers whose vehicles are ambushed.
Police said there were no signs of foul play in this morning’s explosion.
An initial investigation by the fire department leads them to believe the fire began when some children were playing fire, which then ignited the house.