Gaza fire kills 17 from one family during birthday party
By FATIMA SHBAIR
Associated Press
JABALIYA REFUGEE CAMP, Gaza Strip (AP) — A relative says least 17 family members were among those killed when a fire tore through a top-floor apartment in the Gaza Strip during a birthday party. Officials in Hamas-run Gaza said Thursday night’s blaze was likely fueled by stored gasoline. They put the death toll at 21. It was one of the deadliest incidents in Gaza in recent years outside the violence stemming from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A family spokesman said Friday that the family had gathered to celebrate a birthday and the return of one of its members from Egypt. He said furniture made from flammable material might have fueled the flames rather than gasoline.