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| Firefighters tackle blaze at south London mosque | Firefighters tackle blaze at south London mosque |
| (7 months later) | |
| Ten fire engines and 70 firefighters attend Baitul Futuh mosque in Morden, western Europe’s largest | |
| Damien Gayle | |
| Sat 26 Sep 2015 18.48 BST | |
| First published on Sat 26 Sep 2015 14.26 BST | |
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| Seventy firefighter were reported to battling a blaze at a mosque and community centre in south London on Saturday afternoon. Crews from fire stations across south London responded to the fire at the Baitul Futuh mosque in Morden, which was reported by a member of the public just after midday. | Seventy firefighter were reported to battling a blaze at a mosque and community centre in south London on Saturday afternoon. Crews from fire stations across south London responded to the fire at the Baitul Futuh mosque in Morden, which was reported by a member of the public just after midday. |
| We now have 10 fire engines & 70 firefighters tackling the #Morden mosque fire: http://t.co/Cb5cY27U7D Pic Sam Hart pic.twitter.com/kDYgnbGU32 | We now have 10 fire engines & 70 firefighters tackling the #Morden mosque fire: http://t.co/Cb5cY27U7D Pic Sam Hart pic.twitter.com/kDYgnbGU32 |
| A London fire brigade spokesman said: “We have 10 fire engines and 70 firefighters there. The fire is affecting the building’s ground and first floors. It would be fair to say it is a large fire.” | A London fire brigade spokesman said: “We have 10 fire engines and 70 firefighters there. The fire is affecting the building’s ground and first floors. It would be fair to say it is a large fire.” |
| Pictures shared on Twitter showed a column of black smoke billowing up from the fire in what is said to be western Europe’s largest mosque. Half of the building’s ground floor was on fire, along with a quarter of its first floor and roof, a London fire brigade spokeswoman said. By mid-evening on Saturday, the fire had damaged 50% of the ground floor, according to London Fire Brigade. Most of the damage is thought to have occurred at the front of the building, while the prayer area of the mosque is thought to be unaffected. | Pictures shared on Twitter showed a column of black smoke billowing up from the fire in what is said to be western Europe’s largest mosque. Half of the building’s ground floor was on fire, along with a quarter of its first floor and roof, a London fire brigade spokeswoman said. By mid-evening on Saturday, the fire had damaged 50% of the ground floor, according to London Fire Brigade. Most of the damage is thought to have occurred at the front of the building, while the prayer area of the mosque is thought to be unaffected. |
| Morden Mosque on fire. pic.twitter.com/bqALHUwMTF | Morden Mosque on fire. pic.twitter.com/bqALHUwMTF |
| Roads have been closed around the area. One man has been taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation, according to a spokeswoman for the London ambulance service. | Roads have been closed around the area. One man has been taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation, according to a spokeswoman for the London ambulance service. |
| A fire station manager, Philip Morton, who is at the scene, said: “This is a large fire and our crews are working hard to minimise fire spread to other parts of the mosque. We are working closely with the local community to ensure our damage control operations take full regard of the religious significance of the building’s contents.” | A fire station manager, Philip Morton, who is at the scene, said: “This is a large fire and our crews are working hard to minimise fire spread to other parts of the mosque. We are working closely with the local community to ensure our damage control operations take full regard of the religious significance of the building’s contents.” |
| The vast Baitul Futuh mosque complex, which covers 21,000 sq m, was completed in 2003 at a cost of about £5.5m. It is said to be able to accommodate 10,000 worshippers. The cause of the fire is not yet known. | The vast Baitul Futuh mosque complex, which covers 21,000 sq m, was completed in 2003 at a cost of about £5.5m. It is said to be able to accommodate 10,000 worshippers. The cause of the fire is not yet known. |
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