House fires broke out twice on Sunday inside the compound of a large mosque located on the Main Road in front of U Oattama Memorial Park in Sittwe, Arakan State.
Crowds peacefully observing the scene were accused of being attackers.
A resident from nearby Mawlate Ward witnessed the fire and said, “It was around 2pm [when] the smoke started coming out from the mosque’s compound and the firemen and security forces entered the compound and put out the fire. The fire broke out again after 3pm and they had to put it out again."
The resident stated that there are five houses made of bamboo with thatched roofs inside the mosque compound, two of which were gutted by the fire.
“There are five hut-like houses inside the compound and only two of them were burned in the fire, but nothing happened to the mosque because it is a very strong brick building."
The resident added, “Since [the time when] we saw the smoke coming from the compound, we found over 100 soldiers and police had already arrived. The fire also broke out there again just after an hour. No people coming from outside were allowed to come close to the compound. So, I think it was impossible for the outsiders to set fire to the houses there," he said.
When asked about the rumors circling the incident alleging that Arakanese people had attacked the mosque and besieged the Aung Mingalar Ward, he said, “It is not true. It is a habit here that people will come out to see if something happens. It became a big mob near the compound of the mosque because so many people came out to see the incident. So, they are just false allegations toward people.”
When an official of the regional government was contacted by phone concerning the incident, he also said, “It was just a small fire and the firemen put it out on time. There are also security forces being deployed near the mosque and they are now carrying out investigations on the fire.”
U Aung Mra Kyaw, a state parliament lawmaker, also said the brick wall surrounding the mosque compound is the height of three men stacked vertically and there has been 24-hour security for the mosque at the compound's two main gates for a long time, concluding that it would not be possible for outsiders to set fire to the houses inside.
