Three people reportedly needed to jump from the second story of the building in New York that contains the Stavnitzer synagogue to escape a blaze around 6:20 a.m. on Friday morning.
The New York City Fire Department and Hatzolah of Boro Park assisted those who were in the building, located on 60th Street near 18th Avenue in Brooklyn.
Rabbi Burach Avrhom Horowitz, his wife Esther and their extended family were reportedly among those firefighters rescued. Five people were wounded, according to the FDNY. All are expected to recover.
“We saw the rabbi, his wife and his son all dangling out of that window, out the top window,” Joel Schlesinger, a neighbor, told WABC.
Lidel Perlstein, a member of the synagogue, which is also called Darkei Chaim Stavnitz, told the news outlet that, “Everything was engulfed in flames, smoke and fire, so they couldn’t go down.”
“This was a miracle. So they jumped out. They jumped the window and landed on that ledge. So when the fire department came, the three of them were hanging there,” Perlstein added. “Thanks to New York City’s bravest, they got here on time. They managed to pull up the bucket and they managed to escape.”
All of the synagogue’s Torah scrolls are safe, according to Yeshiva World News, which shared photos and videos of the fire and its aftermath.
FDNY fire marshals stated at 12:45 p.m. on Friday that “the cause of Friday’s all-hands fire at 1847 60th St. in Brooklyn was accidental, cooking.”
“The fire injured five people, two critically,” they added. “Never leave cooking food unattended. Keep the area around your stove clear of objects.”
At 6:19am, #FDNY received a call for an automatic alarm at 1847 60th Street, Bkn. Arriving units saw fire conditions & removed 3 people out of the 3rd floor window using the bucket of the Tower Ladder. 5 people transported to hospitals, 2 in critical. Fire under investigation. pic.twitter.com/0J43YecBCJ
— FDNY (@FDNY) March 29, 2024
