Palestinians tackle blaze at mosque in Al-Aqsa

A fire broke out at Al-Marwani Prayer Room in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound yesterday, at the same time as the world watched Paris’ iconic Notre Dame Cathedral engulfed in flames.

Smoke could be seen rising from the Al-Marwani prayer rooms in Al-Aqsa Mosque, with firefighters tackling the blaze. Parts of the 2,000-year-old site are said to now be in danger as a result.

Palestine news agency, Wafa, cited a guard as saying that “the fire broke out in the guard’s room outside the roof of the Marwani Prayer Room, and the fire brigade of Jerusalem Islamic Waqf handled the matter successfully.”

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Al-Marwani prayer room is located underneath the south-eastern corner of the Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound (Haram Al Sharif).

Investigations are now underway to discover what started the fire, which some have said may have been caused by children who were playing in the area.

France’s famous Notre Dame Cathedral was devastated yesterday after a fire engulfed the 850-year-old building, leading to its roof caving in. President Emmanuel Macron vowed to rebuild the UNESCO World Heritage site with help from the international community.

Flames and smoke rising from the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, France on 15 April 2019 [Mustafa Dilekli/Anadolu Agency]