A Jewish community center that includes a synagogue burned to the ground in a fire in Rutherford, N.J. overnight. The house of worship is a total loss, after being part of the community for more than 100 years.   

The intense flames and smoke broke out around 2:45 a.m. Friday at Congregation Beth El, which is located in a mainly residential neighborhood on Montross Avenue. 

The same synagogue was firebombed in 2012 when someone hurled explosive devices into it, but investigators said no one was hurt and no criminality was suspected in this latest fire.

"Unfortunately, due to the severe and extensive damage, the cause of the fire will remain undetermined," the Rutherford Police Department said in a statement. 

"Kudos to our firefighters and our mutual aid teams, they were here quickly dealing with the situation," Rutherford Police Chief John Russo said on the scene. "Since we had so many on scene, they were able to assist with the embers, which were an issue early on, and wash down all the neighboring homes, which was a concern of ours at first."

The congregation serves many communities in Bergen County, including Hackensack and Secaucus. 

CLICK HERE to watch Chopper 2 over the aftermath of the fire.

Rabbi escapes Rutherford synagogue fire

Rabbi Yitzchok Lerman, his wife and four children were inside the building when the fire started. They managed to escape, barely.

"We saw the orange flames outside our bedroom window," Lerman said.

He said they all ran outside in their pajamas to escape. 

"I turned around, my wife said we have to get the Torah scrolls. A minute later, the whole place was engulfed in flames," Lerman said. 

He was thankful everyone was safe and said the synagogue and community center will come back.

"We're very grateful to God for the miracles he's performed for our family, and our message for the community is that we are going to rebuild," the rabbi said. 

Mayor Frank Nunziato described Lerman as a pillar of the community and a longtime friend. Gov. Phil Murphy also reached out to him. 

Lerman said there will be a service at 10 a.m. Saturday on the synagogue's lawn. 

The synagogue "is just gone," neighbor says

One neighbor said the rabbi and his family came for help around 3 a.m.

"I was like, what's wrong? I didn't know there was a fire," said Frank Wilson. "The whole family came by with the shirts on their back, and we let the kids come in, they used the bathroom, got something to drink. Told [me] that they just, basically, got out with their lives."

Wilson said the synagogue went up quickly and the flames were like a fireball.

"The thing is just gone," he said. 

The Jewish center included a synagogue, classrooms, a gym and a room for children. 

"It's very emotional. A very old shul in a small community," one man said. 

Congregation Beth El was firebombed in 2012

This was not the first fire at the synagogue. Someone threw explosive devices into the bedroom window of another rabbi and his wife there in 2012. 

Authorities arrested Anthony Graziano, who was 19 at the time, in that incident, which they called a bias-related attack.

Federal investigators were notified about the latest fire and will look into whether any criminal activity was involved. 

"All of the criminal investigators that need to be here are here. And once they can get on scene to do their investigation, they will," said Russo. "Like I said, it's very early, and our investigators can't even get near the scene." 

While the cause of Friday morning's fire remains unclear, nothing so far has led investigators to believe it was anything suspicious. 

"It's a very old home. It's wood," Rutherford's fire chief said. "We don't have to go right to that this is something that is nefarious. This is just a very old home that may just have burned down." 

"The best news from a terrible event like this is that it was not related to terrorism, it was not related to antisemitism," Congregation Beth El President Larry Goldberg said. 

Goldberg said the congregation is looking for a new location to hold services during the rebuild.