Tulkarem – Ma’an – A fire erupted in a restaurant of on the ground floor of a residential building following an explosion on Wednesday in the West Bank city of Tulkarem.

Firefighters rushed to the scene to contain the blaze which originated in the Ash-Shahed restaurant. The fire caused extensive damage to the restaurant’s surroundings, including the residential building it was located in and telecommunication and electricity networks in the area.

Palestinian civil defense in Tulkarem said that a gas leak in the restaurant caused the significant explosion that damaged nearby stores. No injuries were reported.

Salamah Ash-Shahed, owner of the restaurant said that “the total amount of damages are estimated at (70) thousand shekels”, adding that there was no gas leak when he left his restaurant late Tuesday night.

More than 160 residents were affected by the obstruction to telecommunication and electricity services as a result of the explosion.