Late Sunday afternoon, a fire broke out in a residential building in the Bedouin town of Kuseife in southern Israel. Two women and three children were stuck inside the burning makeshift building, frightened, and unable to get out.
United Hatzalah volunteer EMT and Gush Etzion Chapter Head Danny Gur was driving down Route 31 when he saw the fire near the roadway. “I saw crazy smoke coming from the town and kids running and screaming, so I went over to help.”
Danny put on a KN-95 mask to limit smoke inhalation and drove to the scene. When he could drive no further he ran to the makeshift building, climbed over a lot of rubble, and raced into the burning metal structure to check and see if anyone was trapped inside. Danny found three children huddled by a bed and two women further into the burning complex. He grabbed them and brought them safely out of the burning house.
Fire and rescue crews from Arad and Dimona Stations arrived at the scene and identified that the cause of the fire was from a solar panel system and several gas cylinders that exploded and caught fire causing the building to ignite. As a result of the fire, the structure was severely damaged and the building was in danger of collapse.
The firefighters began external operations, using foam to lower the flames. Afterward, they entered the structure and put out the fire that was still burning inside while searching for anyone still trapped in the structure and the buildings adjacent to it.
“As the firefighters came to scan the area for people trapped, I got so nervous that I may have left people inside. I was certain that I got everyone, but I was still nervous about the possibility that there was someone I missed and people were still in danger. I was shaking from fear the whole time. In the end, thank God, the house was cleared and everyone was okay.”
Danny added, “As a first responder it is incredibly important to remember one’s own safety and I tried my best to keep a cool head and act fast. When I saw children hiding under the bed, I knew that I had to get them out as quickly as possible.”
To prevent another fire, the firefighters evacuated all the gas cylinders to a safe place in an isolated area and performed all the necessary post-fire operations.
The firefighters determined conclusively that no other people were in the makeshift structure, and thanks to Danny’s quick thinking and selfless act of bravery, there were no casualties or injuries.
