Fire in West Bank Barracks Kills 8 Israeli Soldiers
Fire flashed through a barracks at an Israeli army base on the Occupied West Bank early today, killing eight soldiers and wounding seven others, according to survivors and officials.
The Palestine Liberation Organization claimed responsibility, but military officials said it appeared to have been an accident, possibly caused by a candle.
The fire started about 1:30 a.m. in a one-story prefabricated barracks housing about 50 soldiers.
“The circumstances surrounding the fire are as yet unknown and are being investigated,” a terse army announcement said. “There were no heaters or electricity in the structure.”
Military sources said: “It looks like a candle or something caught a curtain or a sleeping bag. There were no explosions or suspicious movements.”
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