Fire destroys 125-year-old synagogue in Rutherford; rabbi and family escape safely
RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (WABC) -- A Rutherford synagogue burned down and collapsed after an intense fire that rained embers down on the neighborhood.
Flames tore through the structure on Montross Avenue just around 2:45 a.m. on Friday.
Firefighters were met by heavy fire upon arrival and they were hampered by live wires down in front of the structure.
The three-story building appeared to collapse within an hour, with firefighters battling hot spots. Three structures were affected by the fire.
The rabbi and his family who lived in the building heard the fire alarm and rushed out with minutes to spare.
"Luckily the rabbi and his family, six members total were the only members in the structure, they were able to get out, but the structure is a complete loss," said Chief John R. Russo, Rutherford Police Department.
It is not believed that anyone was injured.
NewsCopter 7 was over the scene:
The building houses Congregation Beth El and the Chabad of South Bergen County and The Meadowlands.
The congregation has been at the location since the early 1950s and it was the target of an arson attack 10 years ago when it was firebombed in January 2012.
A 19-year-old Lodi man was later arrested and charged with throwing Molotov cocktails and other incendiary devices in the rabbi's second floor bedroom and into another synagogue in Paramus the week before.
While this cause of the fire is under investigation, authorities stressed there is nothing that indicates it is suspicious or connected to the 2012 incident.
"It's a very old home. It's wood," Rutherford Mayor Frank Nunziato said. "This is just a very old home that may just have burned down."
The rabbi is already committed to rebuilding. The cherished Torah scrolls were destroyed but members of the congregation gathered at the smoldering site to recall memories of their cherish place of worship.
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