Fire destroys Sikh Temple in central Reno

All that remains of the Sikh Temple at Locust and Second streets are a brick wall, charred wood and pieces of glass, after being gutted Monday night by what officials said was a suspicious fire.

The one-story concrete, flat-roof built in 1996 at the southwest corner of the intersection was engulfed in flames when Reno firefighters arrived about 11:30 p.m., Battalion Chief Dana Tucker said.

Firefighters knocked down the fire quickly, but steam flowed from the building for nearly an hour. Nearby homes were evacuated.

“It is a suspicious fire,” Tucker said, adding police said several burglaries had been reported in the neighborhood at the same time.

Inspectors are considering “all possibilities” said Operations Chief Joe DuRousseau.

Firefighters “did a good job,” said Balwinder Singh, a member of the temple who said the building was unoccupied after the priest left about 9 p.m.

“I don’t know yet about what we will do,” Singh said. “It’s just too… very emotional… all of our holy books, our whole library, that is all burned… that was everything to us.”

He said the members are banding together through the difficult time.

“We can be sad together, because what can we do about that? It’s very painful,” he said.

Josh Vestal, south of the temple, said his home was broken into Monday night about the same time as the fire.

Burglars broke a door window and stole his telephone, some DVDs his electric guitar and bass and also broke open his freezer with a pick ax, he said. Vestal said he was not at home until about 12:30 a.m.

“It was still smoking and flaming, but nothing like these images I have seen on the news (from the height of the blaze),” he said.

“I was worried that someone might have been inside (the temple),” he said.

With thanks : source : RGJ.com with link from headline above

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