Yesterday's fire on the 29th floor of the Shalom Tower in south Tel Aviv , which spread to the 30th floor, was put out after a few hours, but the building remained closed today, and the business of many financial firms was either paralyzed or carried out in very limited fashion. The fire put out of commission almost all of the building's water and electrical systems, which hindered the firefighting and the return to routine activity.
The Shalom Tower's fire alarm sounded at 4:30 pm yesterday, and the occupants evacuated the building. The fire mainly damaged property, and except for four people treated at the scene with oxygen, no disaster was caused, as the Fire and Rescue Services put out the blaze.
The Shalom Tower's financial services occupants include IBI Investment House Ltd. (TASE:IBI), First International Bank of Israel (TASE: FTIN), Bank of Jerusalem (TASE: JBNK), Union Bank of Israel (TASE: UNON), Index Sal Ltd. and Brack Capital Ltd. Most of the employees were notified not go to the building today, and it remained closed, except for fire and police investigators and Tel Aviv municipal engineers.
IBI said on its website, "Due to the fire at the Shalom Tower, our offices are closed to the public. We are currently working on a limited scale."
Index Sal's ETF traders were hosted at the offices of DS Apex Holdings Ltd. (TASE:DSAP) at the nearby Discount Tower, and traders of other investment houses found temporary locations in nearby buildings.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on November 18, 2010
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2010