Head of the Jakarta Islamic Center (JIC) Study Subdivision Paimun Karim on Wednesday revealed that the dome of the mosque collapsed just half an hour after it caught fire at 15:15 Indonesia Western Time (WIB).
“The rapid collapse of the dome may also be caused by the load of 12 fan lights weighing 1 ton,” Paimun said in a statement in Jakarta, Wednesday, October 20, Antaranews reported.
The dome of the Great Mosque of JIC collapsed to the second floor with the debris from the dome even falling to the first floor of the mosque. Paimun said that the fire in the main dome of the mosque occurred after the Asr noon prayers. The fire first appeared on the west side of the dome. However, a strong gust of wind made the fire quickly spread throughout the dome.
Cause of Fire Under Investigation
The cause of the fire is thought to have started with the renovation of the mosque’s dome. The renovation was carried out by PT DASP and began on August 26 this year.
While reviewing the fire incident, Heru Budi Hartono, the Acting Governor of Jakarta, revealed that there had been welding work before the dome caught fire. However, the exact cause of the fire is still under investigation by the North Jakarta Metro Police.
Firefighters managed to extinguish the fire at 17:00 WIB. The mosque’s main building survived the fire, with only part of the dome collapsing. The fire also did not spread to other buildings. JIC Grand Mosque and other Islamic religious institutions’ documents and computer equipment were also successfully secured and evacuated to the Library in the Socio-Cultural Building.