A historic synagogue in New York City is on fire

A massive fire in New York City has engulfed an abandoned synagogue, appearing to cause major damage.

The fire was reported at 60 Norfolk Street, in the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan. The building appears to be Beth Hamedrash Hagodol synagogue, which formerly housed an Orthodox Jewish congregation.

Here is video of the fire:

Firefighters are on the scene, but the roof of the building has reportedly collapsed:

The building was built in 1850 as a Baptist church and was used as an Orthodox synagogue from 1885 to 2007, when it was closed by the congregation. Here’s what it looked like before the fire: