By COLlive reporter
Following a fire which ripped through the Chassidim 110 – Chabad Shul in Pomona, NY, on Wednesday morning, congregants were devastated to discover that all three of the Shul’s Sifrei Torah had been destroyed.
Congregants, with the assistance of Chaveirim volunteers, were finally given access to the Shul located at 34 Northridge Road a few hours after the fire tore through the Shul, destroying the entire building.
They discovered that the Torahs, which had been stored in a metal safe, were tragically unable to withstand the fire.
Neighbors captured the flames on video a little before 6:00 am. The fire quickly spread and engulfed much of the building.
Residents are devastated by the loss of other holy articles as well, such as Tefillin, seforim and more.
The fire spread to brush behind the home as firefighters worked to contain the blaze, ABC reported. The cause of the fire is still unknown.
There were no reports of injuries.
A fundraiser has been started to help the Shul rebuild. Click here to donate now.
Would the tzibur be able to claim on the Shul’s insurance for those who left their tefillin?
Tefillin don’t belong to Shule
Was the safe, fire-rated? If so, specs?
So others can use this terrible tragedy, to possibly save another.
A standard safe is only burglar resistant. It doesn’t protect the contents from a fire! Even a true fire resistant safe has a time rating (say .5 to 2 hours). That works fine in an urban area where the fire department can respond immediately. In a rural area where the fire was already so developed by the time they got there that they could only spray water on the building from the outside, it would have been exposed to heat for longer than it’s rated capabilities.
Problem was that the safe fell into the basement floor in a pool of 3 feet of water, no safe is water proof
😢. שריפה אשר שרף ה’ ל״ע
ר״ל ישם ירחם עלינו
that is terrible!!
Watching the horrifying clip. Nebech May Hashem protect us in these needed times…. I smell the burn the stench. Unbearable times.
Let’s do an extra deed of kindness and Chesed for one another. It will enable Chesed from Hashem !!
what kind of a safe did they have ????????
Even the most impregnable-looking safe won’t protect against fire. A fire-resistant safe is designed to afford specific protection against fire. (It has thick walls filled with damp mineral insulation, which makes the whole safe very heavy.) Even then, it’s only certified to protect documents for a specific amount of time. (Typically, 1/2 to 2:00 hours.) Every detail of the specifications are defined in the applicable UL standards. A safe certified to protect electronic media will keep its cool for even longer.
Could possibly claim from personal homeowners insurance
Wasn’t there a big fire in Lubavitch in times of the tzemach tzedek I think, around the beggining of the month of nissan?
what caused such a terrible fire?
I can’t look at the pictures, it’s too sad
hashem have rachmonis