A building housing a mosque and school in the Twin Cities is a total loss after an overnight fire, according to the facility manager.
Crews were battling the blaze when a WCCO photographer arrived at Baitul Hikmah Academy in Prior Lake around 2:30 a.m. The Prior Lake Fire Department reported that no one was inside at the time and that no firefighters or civilians were injured.
Because the fire occurred at a religious institution, the State Fire Marshal and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are investigating. The cause of the fire remains unknown.
The fire department said the roof collapsed, and the facility manager added that the building is flooded.
One neighbor described the scene:
“We had no idea, no idea what was going on,” said Nancy Ufken. “Then, when we started watching over by the mosque, we could start seeing smoke. And we did see some flames, but not until quite a bit later.”
The private Muslim school serves K-12 students, about 200 in total, drawing children from across the south metro area. Baitul Hikmah has two other campuses, and all three student bodies will learn remotely on Monday.
Seven fire departments responded to the fire.
Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Minnesota Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said mosques across the state have been asked to “increase their security protocols” as a precaution.
“Parents, teachers and students are heartbroken,” said Touhid Kahn, a board member of the mosque, at a news conference Monday afternoon. “Many of our elders who built this institution by hand are grieving deeply.”
Kahn added that mosque and school officials will set up donation channels to support rebuilding efforts.
Community members emphasized the mosque’s importance in the neighborhood.
“We have a very good relationship with them,” said Prior Lake Fire Chief Rick Steinhaus. “We do a lot of community events with them. As a department, we’re sad to see this happen.”
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