Jerusalem – Passover preparations in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Mea She’arim turned disastrous as two septuagenarian men were moderately injured and a building was burned down. The fire was a direct result of Matzo baking gone wrong, involving an improvised blowtorch and “gas piracy,” fire inspectors concluded on Wednesday.
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The Mazto bakers “operated a blowtorch which they illegally and negligently connected to one of the building’s gas tanks,” stated a spokesperson for the Jerusalem Fire and Rescue Service (JFRS).
According to the JFRS, five firefighter teams were called in on Monday after an explosion occurred in a rooftop apartment of a Mea She’arim shortly before 2 p.m.
“We arrived in the early afternoon to discover the roof of a large apartment complex completely in flames,” stated Eyal Cohen, deputy head of the JFRS, who commanded the firefighting efforts that day.
“The fire was quickly skipping from apartment to apartment along the roof. Parts of the building were already collapsing and there were burning gas tanks in the complex. We feared the fire might spread to adjacent buildings,” Cohen described.
The fire was successfully extinguished after intense efforts that lasted only two hours and included over 50 firefighters and volunteers, 18 fire trucks and two fire service cranes. Seven apartments completely burned down as a result and the rest of the complex sustained irreparable damage. Luckily, no further victims were reported save for the two men who were injured as a result of the initial explosion.
On Wednesday, the JFRS fire investigators announced that the explosion and subsequent raging fire were the result of an ill-advised attempt to mass produce Matzo for the upcoming Jewish holiday of Passover by improvising a blowtorch to “pirated” gas.
The suspects allegedly used this improvised blowtorch in order to make the dishes and tools for the Matzo making process kosher for passover. According to Jewish religious customs, part of the process of making tools and dishes kosher for passover involves treating them with an open flame.
“As a result of the attempt to pirate gas and the dangerous improvisation the gas started leaking from the tank into the apartment until it ignited and caused the explosion,” the spokesperson explained.
The spokesperson also noted that every year before Passover there are cases of damage and injury related to illegal and unapproved matzo bakeries.
That’s because they didn’t use Mayim SheLanu, but Mayim SheLahem…
Anyone eating the matzah which might have been baked in this factory would not be yotzei the mitzvah. Since the gas used was stolen, it is mitzvah haba b’aveirah.
What were the perpetrators thinking!!??
What certificated idiots! I guess with all their Torah they never studied Lulav Ha-Gozel and learned about a mitzvah ha-boh b’aveiroh. How could they possible justify stealing someone else’s gas? If we can fairly assume that some of the people whose homes were destroyed had no fire insurance, it will probably be only a matter of days before sh’luchim arrive in America to collect for them. These morons should be jailed for charges that should include world-class stupidity!
B’h, no one was seriously injured or killed but you almost have to say this was inevitable and those involved in this mindless chilul hashem deserved what they got. Almost every year or two, we have read here on VIN about some equally stupid yidden burning down a shul or beis medrash or even residential structure by setting up illegal and unsafe matzoh bakeries. Given that there are so many LEGAL and SAFE commercial bakeries and you can now get the finest quality round, hand made shmurah matzoh with top of the line chassideshe hashgacha for less than $50/lb (or less than $40 if you are ok with a Satmar/kuf K hashgacha), there is no excuse for these illegal bakeries. Those involved should be prosecuted and jailed for putting lives of others at risk for no logical reason.
Don’t worry, this is not theft…..it’s actually a hidur mitzvah…since you are stealing from the treife medina! (Pathetic but just kidding)
If they are in prison, who matzos will they be eating? I think they will have a small problem!!
When will we restart baking matzo in our own home oven
#4 Actually you can get double hashgacha hand shmura at Costco for $14.99
Very common in Monsey.