Nine people were injured in a fire at around 4:00 a.m. on Sunday at an east Jerusalem apartment.
"A call was received about a building burning. Fire and rescue services rushed to the scene where they found a fire in an apartment on El Batted Street in the Beit Hanina neighborhood in the east of the city. Nine family members were in the apartment at the time," according to a Fire and Rescue spokeswoman for the Jerusalem District.
"Firefighters immediately began operations in order to rescue the trapped people. After much effort, the fire was extinguished. All family members were handed over to medical officials for further treatment. Much damage was done to property and the house completely burned down."
Shift commander Rabbi Reshef Moti Melamed said: "The fire broke out in the apartment while the family was sleeping. I had not seen so much damage in a long time."
All nine victims, five of them whom were children, were evacuated to the nearest hospital with various levels of injuries.
After the fire was extinguished and there was no further danger, tenants were returned to their homes.
Police have begun investigating the circumstances of the incident.