By:Rory J. Thompson, RVCFD
The call came in at around 1:10 p.m., and the department, under the direction of First Assistant Chief Peter Grandazza, responded with all hands. Upon arriving at the scene, Grandazza immediately called for mutual aid from the Baldwin and Lynbrook fire departments for their tower ladder trucks, and also called on Oceanside to send in a ladder and engine company to stand by in Rockville Centre while local firefighters were on DeMott.
Firefighters made an aggressive attack on the blaze from the ground, while Baldwin set up its tower ladder on the lawn of the temple. Once that truck was in place, the hose line was handed off to the firefighters on the tower. Lynbrook assisted the effort by cutting a 5- by 10-foot hole in the roof to attack the flames where they fire had spread to the inside.
One firefighter suffered minor injuries, according to Grandazza. The unidentified firefighter was hit by a falling pine tree that had to be cut down to allow the tower truck to get close enough to the building. He was taken to Mercy Medical Center and released later that day.
Norma Koppel, president of Central Synagogue, said that there appeared to be no major damage inside the building. She emphasized that she was eternally grateful to the Rockville Centre Fire Department and the police department for their fast response and for respecting our spiritual home. We-re thankful for such an incredible show of community spirit, support and encouragement.
Koppel said that the main sanctuary suffered some smoke damage, and services will have to be held in the smaller chapel for the time being. But she expressed relief that all the children attending classes at the time were safely evacuated, and that the sacred Torahs were safely removed.
The fire is believed to have been caused accidentally during roof work on top of the building. The Nassau County Fire Marshal-s office was called in to investigate, but no summonses were issued.
