Investigators are trying to determine what caused a small
fire at a controversial Auckland mosque early this morning.
The fire was in a storage area attached to the side of the
main building at the west Auckland Islamic Centre in Avondale but the Fire
Service told ONE News the damage could have been much worse.
Initially two fire trucks attended the scene at around 3am
and as a precaution an additional two fire trucks also attended.
Senior Sergeant Greg Sowter said the building has been
cordoned off while they hunt for clues as to what caused the fire.
"The fire is being treated as suspicious," he told
ONE News. "It's not very bad...but it was just starting."
Detective Senior Sergeant Paul Newman from Glenn Innes CIB
said damage was limited to the inside of this a shed.
"Thankfully, a member of the public noticed smoke and
call for assistance...the mosque itself was not damaged," says Mr Newman.
Police and the Fire Service are combing the property in a
bid to find out how the potentially destructive blaze started in the empty
building.
"We've got our specialist fire investigators looking at
it now and we'll be sending some material away for testing. We won't know the
results of that for at least 48 hours," Assistant Area Commander Dave Woon
said.
One News Agency