Emergency forces were called Tuesday morning to a synagogue in Jerusalem's Ramot neighborhood, following a report of a fire in the building, Kikar Hashabbat reported.
Firefighters identified the fire which had ignited in the three-story building, and quickly worked to extinguish it. After searching the synagogue, firefighters found that no one had been trapped inside, since the fire broke out before the first worshipers arrived for the morning prayers.
The flames damaged the synagogue and prayer books, but did not reach the Holy Ark and the Torah scrolls within it, Kikar Hashabbat noted.
Fireman officer Noach Yona, deputy shift commander, said, "The fire broke out in a residential apartment, in an enclosed porch. Among the property damaged were prayer books and other religious books, which were used by the worshipers. It is not yet possible to determine what caused the fire."
A statement from Jerusalem's Fire and Rescue Service said: "At 6:20a.m. this morning we received a report of a fire in a synagogue on Yehuda Karni Street in the Ramot neighborhood of Jerusalem. The synagogue is located in a three-story building."
"Fire and Rescue Service forces arriving at the scene located the spreading fire in the building and immediately began acting to extinguish the blaze and locate those who might be trapped. Their quick action brought the fire under control. No one was found to be trapped, and now we are working to air out the synagogue's space."