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Fire hits Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem
FILE: Al-Aqsa Mosque, Jerusalem (Photo by Kia Kruse/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
A blaze struck the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, at the same time when a huge fire erupted at the historic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France.
In its report, the Palestine News Agency cited a guard as saying that the fire “broke out in the guard’s room outside the roof of the Marwani Prayer Room. The incident, it added, was “successfully” handled by the Islamic Waqf’s fire brigade.
Video footages uploaded on the internet shows smoke and fire emerging from the top of the Marwani Prayer Room, also known as Solomon’s Stables.
This underground vaulted space, which is now used as a Muslim prayer hall, is located under the southeastern corner of the Temple Mount, or the Haram Al Sharif, which contains the Al-Aqsa Mosque —the third holiest site in Islam — and the Dome of the Rock.
The cause of the fire is yet to be determined, but it was reported that Sheikh Azzam al-Khatib, the director general of the Jerusalem Waqf and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, said the blaze may have been caused by children playing in the area.
An article by Newsweek said no injuries or damage was reported after the incident.
Notre Dame fire
On Monday, the whole world expressed its grief after a fire ravaged the centuries-old Notre Dame Cathedral.
The Philippine government was among those who were “saddened” by the news, saying, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of France as well as in solidarity with the rest of the world for this heartbreaking incident.”
It added, “We wish the French nation all the best as they undertake efforts to rebuild this great monument in Paris restored to its majestic sight.”
[READ: We are ‘deeply saddened, bothered’ by Notre Dame Cathedral fire — Malacañang]
Reports said there were up to 400 firefighters were deployed to put out the blaze that lasted for about eight hours.
