Morden mosque owners praise 'dedication and bravery' of firefighters who contained huge blaze to administration buildings

Investigation: fire crews were today examining the cause of the fire
AFP/Getty
Rachel Blundy27 September 2015

The owners of a mosque in south London which was hit by a huge fire have praised the "dedication and bravery" of firefighters who contained the blaze to its administration buildings.

Fire broke out at the Baitul Futuh mosque and the neighbouring community hall in Morden just after midday yesterday.

Smoke could be seen for miles around as ten fire crews from the London Fire Brigade battled the flames well into the evening.

Despite initial reports that Britain's largest mosque had been damaged in the fire, it was later revealed that firefighters had saved the mosque itself from harm and confined the flames to the neighbouring community hall.

Today the mosque's owners, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, expressed their gratitude to the emergency services.

In a statement, they said: " The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is extremely grateful for the efforts of the emergency services and in particular to the London Fire Brigade for their dedicated and brave service. May God Almighty reward them.

Blaze: firefighters at Baitul futuh mosque
Twitter/@Doggy_Boutique

"Whilst there is a sense of regret and deep sadness that this accidental fire occurred, all members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community will bow down in thanks to God Almighty that no person was seriously injured and that the Mosque itself was unharmed."

They added that about 30 worshippers who were inside the mosque complex at the time of the fire had been "safely evacuated". One man was taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation.

Damping down: fire crews on London Road
PA

More than 70 firefighters were continuing their work at the scene on London Road this morning.

A brigade spokesman said they were expected to remain on site until tomorrow, adding that the main damage was to the administration building's ground and first floors.

Station Manager Philip Morton, who was at the scene. said: "This was a large fire and our crews worked hard in difficult conditions to confine it to the administrative buildings on the site and thanks to their efforts the mosque itself escaped completely unscathed.

Place of worship: inside the Baitul Futuh mosque
PA

"Throughout the incident we worked closely with the local community to ensure our damage control operations took into account the religious significance of the building's contents."

The cause of the fire is under investigation but is not being treated as suspicious.

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