Pomona synagogue destroyed by fire

A pre-dawn fire destroyed a synagogue in the Hillcrest Fire District of Pomona on Wednesday morning. Flames shot into the early morning sky, torching the 2 1⁄2-story Chabad Synagogue of Pomona Heights at 34 North Ridge Road. The fire was initially discovered by a congregant who had arrived at the building for morning prayers and noticed smoke in the interior of the synagogue.

A section of the front wall is all that remains of the structure, which was totally engulfed in flames before emergency responders were able to arrive at the scene.

The synagogue was located in a residential area of Pomona and was purchased and converted to a house of worship about a year ago.

Several fire departments from surrounding areas of Rockland County battled the blaze, the cause of which is under investigation. The building had been undergoing renovations for a week before Wednesday’s incident, and investigators are unclear if the ongoing expansion played any part in sparking the inferno. Thankfully, no civilians or emergency responders were injured by the blaze.