A fire erupted during birthday celebrations in a home in Jabalia, spreading quickly through a three-storey building.
At least 21 people have been killed and dozens injured after a fire broke out in a residential building in the Jabalia refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, according to local sources.
Al Jazeera correspondent Youmna ElSayed, reporting from Gaza, said the fire was believed to be caused by a gas leak during a birthday celebration inside an apartment on Thursday.
“When candles were lit up, a fire quickly erupted and an explosion took place,” she said.
The fire spread rapidly through the apartment and extended to the rest of the three-storey building, ElSayed reported.
The blaze has now been contained, but the search continues for several people who are missing.
“At least 20 bodies arrived,” Salah Abu Laila, the head of the Indonesian Hospital in Jabalia said, confirming that they had been burned in the blaze.
The building is located in a densely populated area of Jabalia, increasing the chances of fire spreading quickly through the neighbourhood.
The civil defence services in the city are not adequately equipped to tackle such emergencies effectively, Al Jazeera’s ElSayed said.
