Chabad of Greater Orlando destroyed by fire

Chabad of Greater Orlando caught on fire on Sunday, Sept. 22. The fire started around 11 a.m., less than a half hour after Shachrit davening had ended. No one was injured.

A security guard noticed smoke coming from the roof and called the Fire department.

It took 60 firefighters and seven firetrucks over an hour to get the fire fully under control, according to Rabbi Dovid Dubov.

More than 50 percent of the building was destroyed. "Gaping holes burned through the roof and the ceiling collapsed, demolishing all the chairs, tables, bima and books," said Dovid. 

All six Sefer Torahs were saved with the help of the firefighters. Some of the Torahs suffered water damage. Chabad had recently received a Torah that survived the Holocaust and had been brought to the synagogue to dedicate on Yom Kippur.

The scroll was too large to fit in the Aron Kodesh so it was kept in an office. Because of that, the scroll was not damaged at all.

"The fact that we were able to retrieve all the six Torahs...is absolutely an act of grace from G-d," said Rabbi Sholom Dubov, the executive director of the Chabad of Greater Orlando.

Fire investigators ruled out arson or any type of terrorism. The State and County Fire Marshall concluded that the fire started from an electrical short behind the Yarzeit Memorial board. No negligence was involved. 

In addition to the building destruction, Chabad also lost more than 300 frozen meals prepared for the community dinner at Rosh Hashanah.

Talks are underway between the JCC and Chabad to give space for the weekday programs.

High Holiday services will be held at the Winter Park Hilton.

If anyone would like to help by donating to Chabad, please visit their website at chabadorlando.org/fire.