A fire broke out Sunday morning in a Chabad House in Orlando, Florida, causing significant damage to the building.
The fire broke out shortly after the conclusion of the morning prayers.
Despite the severity of the blaze, six Torah scrolls were successfully rescued from the building.
Rabbi Sholom Dubov, who managers the Chabad House, called the Torah scrolls' rescue a "miracle." According to him, one of the Torah scrolls has special historic value, since it survived the Holocaust. This scroll was only recently brought to the Chabad House, and was scheduled to be used for the first time on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement).
Eyewitnesses filmed firefighters rescuing one of the Torah scrolls from the burning building, as Rabbi Dubov runs to receive it. The fire broke out just after 11:00a.m., and leaping flames and thick smoke can be seen billowing out the buildings windows.
No injuries were reported.
Local firefighters reported that the cause of the fire is under investigation.
Meanwhile, the center's managers expect that the fire began in the synagogue area, where the morning prayers were held. They noted that a few days prior to the fire, the largest Torah scroll was moved from the synagogue to the office, since its large size did not allow it to fit within the Holy Ark, and this move prevented even greater damage.