Investigators on Saturday all but ruled out arson as the cause of a fire that destroyed an historic synagogue in New Jersey just hours before services.
Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew Carey and police and fire investigators announced that the cause of the fire at the Poile Zedek Synagogue in New Brunswick "appears to have been accidental."
The synagogue caught fire around 4:30 p.m. and firefighters battled for more than three hours to bring it under control. No injuries have been reported.
One person was inside the building at the time the fire was reported, but managed to leave safely and firefighters said the synagogue's Sefer Torah was rescued from the building.
Investigators determined that the fire started on the first floor of the building, but they are still searching the rubble for clues as to what ignited the blaze.
According to its website, the Poile Zedek Synagogue was built in 1923 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. The synagogue attracts worshipers from the Russian and Ukrainian communities in Middlesex County and surrounding communities, the site said.
