Torah scrolls rescued from Chabad center during LA fires, another synagogue destroyed

A set of Torah scrolls were rescued from a Chabad center and another synagogue was burned to the ground as a result of the destructive wildfire that has sparked tens of thousands of evacuations in Los Angeles.

The Chabad Jewish Community Center of Pacific Palisades was damaged in the fire. Before the blaze reached the center, its Torah scrolls were evacuated to a safer location but the local rabbi and congregations. The congregants also evacuated.

“While we lost sixteen of our beautiful precious public Menorahs, they were in a storage area aligned to our parking lot,” RabbiZushe Cunin, the spiritual leader of the Chabad Center, said in an interview with ABC News. “Thankfully our campus building is intact.”

The Chabad Center stated in a post on Facebook, “Unfortunately, our property has been impacted—our storage area has suffered severe damage, as well as multiple cars in the parking lot. While these losses are difficult, we are most thankful that everyone is safe, and we continue to pray for the protection of all in the affected areas.”

Another synagogue was not so lucky. The Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center was completely destroyed by the fires, with local media reporting that it burned to the ground within minutes.

The building that housed the Conservative Congregation was about 100 years old and dated back to the 1920s.

The Palisades Fire was first reported at approximately 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, according to KTLA-TV in Los Angeles. By 3:30 p.m., it had rapidly expanded to over 2,900 acres, fueled by strong Santa Ana winds, and officials warned it would likely continue to grow.

Mandatory evacuation orders were issued for the entire Pacific Palisades community, extending down to the Pacific Ocean. Officials stated during a press conference that more than 10,000 homes in Pacific Palisades and Malibu were impacted by the evacuation directive. Over 30,000 people were forced to evacuate.

The wildfire produced dramatic scenes across the region. Flames consumed properties, plumes of smoke billowed into the air, and helicopters dropped water on the advancing blaze.

Hundreds of firefighters from across the region are battling the inferno, with law enforcement assisting in traffic control and evacuation efforts. The Los Angeles Police Department deployed more than 100 officers to support emergency responders, according to KTLA.