A four-alarm fire ravaged Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun, a modern Orthodox Upper East Side synagogue that was under renovation, last night, destroying the roof and heavily damaging the upper floors, according to the New York Times. The fire began on the roof though the cause was not immediately known. No major injuries were sustained.
It took 170 firefighters around an hour to get the blaze under control at the 110-year-old Synagogue On 85th Street near Lexington Avenue.
“Flames were 40 feet in the air, and there were large clouds of thick black smoke,” said Stephen Ruzow, chairman of the FDNY Foundation and a member of the synagogue.
Asher Levitsky, a lawyer whose children attended Ramaz, a nearby school affiliated with the synagogue, called the fire tragic. “It’s a terrible loss,” he said.
The renovation was due to be completed in September. [NYT]