Sunday night an electrical transformer overheated and began malfunctioning causing a series of explosions and fires. It all began at around 1:00am when FDNY received a call about smoke and the smell of fire in the intersection of Empire and Troy, they arrived on scene and couldn’t find anything but moments later there was a large explosion in the transformer box underground sending flames up. Firefighters taped off the area and notified ConEd and left one engine on scene until their arrival.
More pictures in the Extended Article.
Transformer Fire Suspected in Causing Fire in Oholei Torah
Sunday night an electrical transformer overheated and began malfunctioning causing a series of explosions and fires. It all began at around 1:00am when FDNY received a call about smoke and the smell of fire in the intersection of Empire and Troy, they arrived on scene and couldn’t find anything but moments later there was a large explosion in the transformer box underground sending flames up. Firefighters taped off the area and notified ConEd and left one engine on scene until their arrival.
More pictures in the Extended Article.
About 45 minutes later a Bochur came to the Oholei Torah Mesivta / Rainitz Shul building along with his teacher in order to retrieve his Tefillin but when he opened the door he was greeted by thick smoke. The Bochur immediately ran to the Fire Truck that was posted on the corner and told them that there was a fire in the building, the firefighters called for backup and immediately 3 additional engines and two ladders responded along with multiple EMS units.
The fire was burning in the electrical panels in the basement and the first floor, during the incident another manhole exploded with a huge bang sending the cover in the air. During the course of the fire Keyspan and Fire Marshalls showed up and began shutting down all recourses to the building.
Once the fire was confirmed to have been put out in the building the firefighters left the scene leaven the Marshalls to investigate what had taken place.
Rishe
You leave us in suspense. What happened to the Bochur and his Tefillin? Lost? Found? Damaged?
shul member
Was the shul damaged ?
ZAL
That building is one big fire hazard. I’m shocked FDNY didn’t shut the building down once they were in it…
Chaya
where are the buchurim of mesivta?
yit
rishe. nothing happend to them the only places that was dameged were the masigiach’s office and the boyler room
OT ZAL
lets hope they clean up the bulding A.s.a.p.
bochur from misivta
we are now learning in the zal classrooms on eastern parkway, we are having a blast.
BOCHUR(IN RL CLASS)
rabbi laufer`s office completely destroid,(oholei torah chai 2+2…) hoohoohoo! MSHP! (RLC`S}
o, & BY THE WAY WERE IN O.T. ZAL CLASSROOM`S!(MESIVTA}
cg
Oholei Torah English can’t be beat!
ot bochur
b”h this happened @ 1:00 am ;there is absolutley NO way for 150 bochhurim to escape that -eh-i guess ,building-bisha’as sreifa{un derech agav ,an inyan foon hashgacha pratis ;every day harav laufer’s tfillin reside in his office overnight,ober der sreifa is geven leil yud tes kislev,and mesivta was supposed to begin @11:45,un shacharis mit’n rebbe’s minyan and harav laufer shlita took his teffilin home that evening……..rabbi laufer’s office was severely burnt………)
Yossel
B”H
Well at least I’m glad the fire wasn’t caused by the bachurim playing with the circuit breaker boxes…SAFETY FIRST
BTW: It’s BOILER not BOYLER
It’s DESTROYED not DESTROID
Regards.