Israeli-Druze fire fighter Sergeant Adnan Asad from the Druze village of Beit Jann, located in the north of Israel on Mt. Meron, was killed on Sunday while attempting to save the life of a man who fell in a pit.
Around 1 PM Sunday afternoon the Israel Fire and Rescue Department answered a call to save a 20-year-old man who fell into a pit about 8 meters deep (27 feet) in Deir al-Asad, an Arab town in the Galilee.
Teams from the special rescue unit of the Karmiel fire station arrived on the scene within a short time and began a rescue operation.
Upon the teams’ arrival, two fire fighters entered the pit, but during the rescue operations contact was lost with them.
So, additional rescuers who were on the scene and the fighters of the “Flame Unit” rescued the two fire fighters and the citizen, who was said to be in a serious medical condition.
The three were all evacuated to the Nahariya hospital for medical treatment and Asad was later on reported to have died of his wounds. Update: The first man who fell into the pit died of his wounds.
There is no information yet as to the exact circumstances of Asad’s death, or if he died at the scene, in transit, or at the hospital.
The fire and rescue department reported that at this time medical staff at the Nahariya hospital continue to fight for the life of the second firefighter who was seriously injured in the rescue attempt.
Sergeant Adnan Asad was 40 years old at the time of his death, was married and had three children, the youngest of whom is only two months old. He served as a fire fighter from 2019.
Fire Commissioner Chief Eyal Caspi arrived at the hospital and is closely monitoring the situation.
The families of the fire fighters were informed of their situation by department officials.
The fire commissioner established an inspection team led by himself to investigate the circumstances of the incident.
In a statement Israel’s National Fire and Rescue Authority said that it, “bows its head at the fall of the warrior (fire fighter) and participates in the grief of his family.”
