Three firefighters were injured battling a fire that tore through a small home synagogue and collapsed its roof early Thursday.
Crews responded to the fire involving a house in Lawrence, which borders Queens in Nassau County, at about 12:15 a.m., Newsday reports. As firefighters worked to knock down the fire, flames spread to the attic of the single-story synagogue and brought down the roof.
During the call, three firefighters were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. One of the firefighters was treated and released, and the other two are still hospitalized.
Inwood units currently operating at a working fire in Lawrence Cedarhurst response area on the NYC border. Details to follow
Posted by Inwood Fire Department on Wednesday, February 3, 2021
Lawrence-Cedarhurst firefighters initially responded to the fire before being joined by Inwood, Woodmere, Hewlett, Meadowmere and FDNY crews. Once at the scene, they found that hydrants in the area were frozen, and they needed to use water from pumpers at first.
Crews were able to save the synagogue's Torah, pulling it from the burning building and giving it to civilian outside. They also prevented flames from spreading to a nearby building, which only suffered some water damage.
Lawrence police told Newsday that crews were called back to the synagogue just before 5:30 a.m. after the fire reignited. Investigators from the police's arson and bomb unit, as well as the Nassau County Fire Marshal's Office and building inspectors, are trying to determine the fire's cause.
