LONDON: A fire broke out at a Hindu community centre in east London’s Ilford on Saturday night, completely gutting the building. No one was injured.
The devotees were in a Ganesh Chaturthi procession, and nobody was inside Shree Sorathia Prajapati Community Centre on Cleveland Road when the blaze erupted, thus avoiding a major tragedy.
Flames reduced the centre — used by UK-based Hindus belonging to a community of potters from Gujarat’s Sorath region — to ashes. The roof collapsed, and the interiors, believed to have contained idols of deities, were completely charred. However, a 3m Ganesh neon sign on the exterior remained intact.
Videos captured by onlookers at Oxford Islamic Centre opposite the building showed towering flames reaching high into the sky and plumes of black smoke billowing out, even as firefighters battled to douse the blaze. Neighbouring homes had to be evacuated.
A police patrolling team first noticed the fire around 8pm. The fire brigade received around 14 calls and sent six fire engines and 40 firefighters to the spot, along with a 32m turntable ladder used as a water tower to help extinguish the flames from above.
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said the building was “fully alight” and had “sustained a significant amount of damage” when they arrived. The fire was under control by 9.20pm.
“The cause of the fire is under investigation, although at this stage, information suggests that it is not believed to have been started deliberately,” a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said.
“The procession set off at 6.30pm, and the centre was locked. We don’t know what caused it, but around 8pm, there was a blast from within. The community is very distraught, especially since a havan was due to take place there on Sunday,” Ravi Bhanot, a community member, said.
Ilford South MP Jas Athwal, who was at the spot, told TOI that the building may need to be demolished as it had suffered extensive structural damage. “Thankfully, police were patrolling at the right time,” he said.
The fire came exactly a week after Indian Aroma, a desi restaurant, went up in flames in a suspected arson attack, leaving five people hospitalised.
The devotees were in a Ganesh Chaturthi procession, and nobody was inside Shree Sorathia Prajapati Community Centre on Cleveland Road when the blaze erupted, thus avoiding a major tragedy.
Flames reduced the centre — used by UK-based Hindus belonging to a community of potters from Gujarat’s Sorath region — to ashes. The roof collapsed, and the interiors, believed to have contained idols of deities, were completely charred. However, a 3m Ganesh neon sign on the exterior remained intact.
Videos captured by onlookers at Oxford Islamic Centre opposite the building showed towering flames reaching high into the sky and plumes of black smoke billowing out, even as firefighters battled to douse the blaze. Neighbouring homes had to be evacuated.
A police patrolling team first noticed the fire around 8pm. The fire brigade received around 14 calls and sent six fire engines and 40 firefighters to the spot, along with a 32m turntable ladder used as a water tower to help extinguish the flames from above.
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said the building was “fully alight” and had “sustained a significant amount of damage” when they arrived. The fire was under control by 9.20pm.
“The cause of the fire is under investigation, although at this stage, information suggests that it is not believed to have been started deliberately,” a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said.
“The procession set off at 6.30pm, and the centre was locked. We don’t know what caused it, but around 8pm, there was a blast from within. The community is very distraught, especially since a havan was due to take place there on Sunday,” Ravi Bhanot, a community member, said.
Ilford South MP Jas Athwal, who was at the spot, told TOI that the building may need to be demolished as it had suffered extensive structural damage. “Thankfully, police were patrolling at the right time,” he said.
The fire came exactly a week after Indian Aroma, a desi restaurant, went up in flames in a suspected arson attack, leaving five people hospitalised.
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