Hawzah News Agency (Labasa, Fiji) – Police and National Fire Authority investigators are trying to find out the cause of a fire on Friday at the Vunimoli Mosque in Labasa.

Vunimoli resident Sheik Mohammed, who witnessed the fire, said it started at about 3.30pm.

Mr Mohammed said he was rudely awoken by his dog barking to alert him that something was wrong.

He said he thought that someone was trying to get into his vehicle, but after looking outside he could see smoke rising from the mosque.

He then alerted the priest, who contacted the National Fire Authority.

Labasa NFA Station responded swiftly and managed to save the mosque from being completely destroyed.

“The National Fire Authority Labasa received the emergency call after 4pm and immediately dispatched their fire crew to the scene,” Mr Mohammed said.

“Upon arrival at the scene minutes later, the fire crew found the concrete structure engulfed in flames.

“The fire crew quickly got to work with one delivery of two hose lengths from tank supply and fought hard to contain the fire and stop its spread to the nearby homes.

“The house was located on hilly terrain, which made accessibility to the scene quite difficult. But the fire crew pressed on to ensure the fire did not threaten the neighbourhood,” he said.

Mr Mohammed said the mosque serviced five villages and consists of 300 members.

“I am happy that everyone is safe and no one got hurt. All the glory goes back to Allah for keeping us safe no matter the circumstances,” he said.

Police spokesperson Ana Naisoro confirmed the joint operation.

“The adjacent building to the mosque was also destroyed. We are working with NFA to determine the cause of fire,” she said.

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