On Oct. 24, a fire broke out at the JEM Community Center on south Santa Monica Boulevard, resulting in extensive damage to the rear exterior of the building, the interior and the children’s campus. Formerly the Beverly Hills YMCA, the Center provides facilities and programs for children, youths, adolescents, young professionals and adults and also offers religious Jewish education, Shabbat and Holiday services and children’s winter and summer camps. Neighbors alerted the fire department just after 3:53 p.m., after observing flames coming from the facility. The Beverly Hills Fire Department (BHFD) dispatched 25 firefighters to the scene, entering to find the building cloaked in heavy, black smoke. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, and nothing has been ruled out including arson or terrorism.
The structure fire began on the second floor of the Center, in a children’s playroom. BHFD Fire Chief Greg Barton described his department’s work at the scene to the Courier. “The firefighters with fire hoses went into the building and they went up to the second floor using their hoses to put the fire out. At the same time, we sent others to the roof trying to ventilate the area, trying to get all the heated gas and smoke out of the building. So, they cut a ventilation hole on top of the roof like a chimney to clear out the smoke. So, we have a coordinated attack, hose lines on the fire, and then we’re cutting a hole on the roof to let all the smoke and heated gasses out.”
