Arutz Sheva spoke with residents of Beit Meir about the terrifying and chaotic moments during which the community was engulfed in flames.

One couple related their escape from the burning community: “We got into the car and started to flee the scene. There was a huge fire at the entrance to the community, and we couldn’t get out.

“Hundreds of cars there, and we can’t get out. We saw the fire right in front of us. Terrifying...

“We saw the giant flames right in front of us. After that more firefighting teams started to arrive...

“They cleared the way for us... and we just traveled, without even seeing where we were going.

Another couple noted: “The uncertainty was very frightening...we heard the police yelling outside...in a couple of minutes we managed to be driving out in our car, but the entrance of the community was blocked.”

“That sudden fear that you’re lost....

“There’s a big traffic jam, everything gets filled with smoke...everybody’s choking inside their cars...moments you can’t understand at all.

“Everyone is under pressure the police the army...there’s no water to put out the fires…there were thirty people trapped in a building.”

Residents of Beit Meir, which is just off the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway, were evacuated from their homes, including 300 people at the guest house, most of them to the nearby town of Shoresh, others to their families in other places.

25 firefighting crews worked at the scene to extinguish the flames, and succeeded in doing so shortly before 5:30 a.m.

Police have so far arrested two suspects linked to the arson.

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