A historic New Jersey synagogue was engulfed by a four-alarm fire early Friday morning as a rabbi and his family of six “luckily” escaped the inferno.
The fire broke out just before 3 a.m. at the Congregation Beth El in a residential neighborhood in Rutherford, WABC reported.
When firefighters arrived, the building was already engulfed in flames, and parts of the building had started to collapse.
Multiple fire battalions from surrounding towns responded to the call and were seen climbing ladders to pour water on the remaining structure to control the flames as smoke billowed into the sky.
The structure was a total loss within an hour, said Rutherford Police Chief John R. Russo.
He also said the rabbi of the synagogue and his family of six “luckily” made it out alive.
There were no reports of anyone injured in the blaze.
Neighbor Frank Wilson told PIX11 News he was awakened by the chaos and saw the rabbi’s family fleeing the blaze.
“I saw the rabbi came to my house… he came with the family… and they came out just with their lives,” he said.
The cause of the fire remains unclear.
The Post has reached out to the Rutherford Police Department for comment.
The synagogue has been an integral part of the community for more than 100 years.
It was the target of a firebombing in 2012, WABC reported.
This is a developing story.
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