Vegetation fire damages Jewish Community Center property in SLO. How to help
A fire burned through parts of the Jewish Community Center’s 10-acre property in San Luis Obispo over the holiday weekend, destroying vegetation and damaging one outbuilding ahead of what was expected to be a busy summer season at the site.
The fire broke out around 11:56 a.m. off of O’Connor Way on July 5, burning more than 18 acres before firefighters contained the fire at 6:07 p.m., according to Cal Fire spokesperson Toni Davis.
The fire was ignited by a fire pit, Davis reported to The Tribune on Thursday. Further details about the cause of the fire were not immediately available.
Among the 18 acres burned was the back portion of the Jewish Community Center’s property at 875 Laureate Lane in SLO.
Janelle Eagle, co-president of the Jewish Community Center board, told The Tribune the blaze burned through land typically used as a grazing pasture for animals — but luckily, the pasture was not occupied during the fire.
“We’re grateful there weren’t any animals on the property at the time,” she said.
She added that one stable was damaged, but not completely destroyed, in the fire.
The flames also crept close to a clay tennis court and a propane tank at the back of the property, Eagle said. The property’s temple, olive grove and the Play Grove, an outdoor education center for young children hosted by local nonprofit One Cool Earth, were all spared.
Alpha Epsilon Pi, Cal Poly’s Jewish fraternity, launched a GoFundMe fundraiser to help raise money to restore portions of the grounds damaged by the fire ahead of the community center’s annual summer camp, Camp Shoreshim, which is slated to be held July 20 through 24, and 27 through 31, according to its website.
“The damage to the grounds is much more extensive than originally realized, and we need to quickly make repairs and reclaim parts of the land,” fraternity president Joshua Pinsky wrote in the fundraiser description.
He emphasized the value of the land for the Jewish community in SLO, saying that it’s commonly used as a gathering space by Cal Poly Hillel, Chabad and Alpha Epsilon Pi.
“The Sigma Omega Chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi here in SLO is launching this campaign to fund immediate land reclamation efforts,” he wrote. “Your support will help us restore the grounds before camp begins and ensure that Cal Poly students have a beautiful, welcoming space to return to this upcoming school year.”
The fundraiser had raised $2,887 of its $5,000 goal as of Thursday afternoon.
Eagle also said the Jewish Community Center had previously planned a volunteer cleanup day for July 19 to care for the grounds. That day will now primarily be used to clear debris from the fire in areas where children will play during camp and to continue mitigation efforts to prevent fires in the future.
“We’re grateful for AEPi’s attention and willingness to literally roll up their sleeves to come help us out,” she said.
The fundraiser can be found at gofund.me/5690bbf26.
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