A powerful explosion at the Intel plant in Kiryat Gat in southern Israel left 1 critically injured and 2 seriously hurt on Wednesday, triggering a hazardous materials leak at the facility. Residents of the town were told to keep away from the area for fear of being exposed to the substances, which have been identified as nitrogen trifluoride.
Video: The fire at the Intel plant in Kiryat Gat on Oct. 14, 2026 / Fire and Rescue Services
Sources at Intel's plant in Kiryat Gat said that the explosion was caused by a truck carrying nitrogen trifluoride (NF3), a highly toxic gas that is used in semiconductor manufacturing.
Emergency response and environmental protection teams are working at the scene to assess the risks and contain the incident.
Magen David Adom emergency crews rushed to the scene and evacuated the casualties. "Following the incident at a factory in Rabin Industrial Park, MDA paramedics are providing medical treatment and evacuating three injured people to Soroka Medical Center," MDA said in a statement.
"The injured include a man in his 50s who underwent resuscitation and is in serious, unstable condition, with burns to his upper body. He is sedated and on a ventilator; A man in his 30s is also in serious, unstable condition after undergoing resuscitation. He is sedated and on a ventilator, with extensive burns; and a 26-year-old man is in serious but stable condition, with burns to his upper body."
According to the Southern District Fire and Rescue Services, "At 2:12 p.m., a report was received at the 102 Fire and Rescue dispatch center regarding the identification of thick black smoke and the sound of an explosion from the direction of the Intel plant in Kiryat Gat. Firefighters from the Ashkelon regional station, backed by reinforced crews and designated hazardous materials units from neighboring stations, were dispatched to the scene. As of this hour, eight firefighting and rescue teams are operating at the scene.
"Firefighters have brought the blaze under control and are continuing efforts to extinguish it and prevent the fire from spreading. The incident involves nitrogen trifluoride (NF₃), a nonflammable gas with oxidizing properties. Hazardous materials teams are conducting ongoing monitoring and risk assessments to evaluate the potential dangers posed by the substance. The public is urged to stay away from the area and allow emergency crews to carry out their work," the statement read.
Shai Alali, commander of the Kiryat Gat police station, arrived at the scene and said: "At this point, I can't say whether there is any suspicion of criminal activity or negligence. We understand that one truck had unloaded a substance into tanks at the plant. After it disconnected and a second truck was connected, the explosion occurred."
He added: "Crews are still cooling the area at the plant to prevent another incident. Professionals are investigating whether there is an additional leak. So far, we have received no indication of one, and the situation appears to be under control."
He added, "We received a report of an explosion and smoke rising from the scene. Three workers were evacuated with injuries of varying severity. We understand that there was some failure. The tanks were cooled, and we managed the incident together with Fire and Rescue Services and other agencies. Throughout the emergency response, there was no need to evacuate Kiryat Gat residents or plant employees," he concluded.
