Spring Valley fire destroys yeshiva dorm

A Spring Valley yeshiva dormitory that was destroyed by a suspicious fire did not have a certificate of occupancy and had been cited for violations, officials said Friday.

The dorm at 2 East Funston Drive belongs to Yeshiva of Rockland, which operates a religious school for teens and young men in trailers on the same property. There were about 25 beds in the yeshiva.

An earlier inspection had found mattresses in the attic, according to Gordon Wren Jr., the county's fire and emergency services coordinator and member of a task force on illegal and unsafe housing in Rockland.

The two and a half story wood building was originally a single family house. It was later converted to a group home, which is allowed under zoning codes.

When the group home vacated, a previous village administration allowed the yeshiva to use the building as a dormitory — a decision Wren criticized.

"It's as unsafe as you can get," he said. "A dormitory and a group home are totally different uses."

Trailers on the property that were supposed to be temporary have been there for years, he noted.

Suffern attorney James Licata appeared before the Spring Valley Planning Board in February 2013 on behalf of Bais Midrash, owners of the property, to ask for another six-month extension to allow the trailers.

It was granted. Licata said Friday he no longer represents the owner.

Students inside the dormitory were able to get out of the wood building by the time firefighters arrived, Spring Valley fire Chief Robert Johnson said.

One firefighter suffered burns on his neck battling the blaze, which was reported shortly before noon Thursday. He was treated at the scene.

The dormitory was equipped with an automatic fire alarm but that system did not appear to be working when the fire broke out, Johnson said.

The fire appeared to start on an outside back porch. Fire investigators are trying to figure out the cause, according to fire inspector Frank Youngman.

Twitter: @JaneLernerNY