Fire destroys Maatam in Malkiya

Manama : A fire destroyed the interior of a Maatam (community and religious centre) in the Northern Governorate in the wee hours of yesterday without causing any casualties.

According to Interior Ministry, the incident took place in Malkiya Village at around 1:15 am and “it was caused by an electric short circuit”.

The ministry said its Civil Defence Directorate extinguished the fire and added that “necessary procedures were taken”.

Jaffaria Waqf Directorate (JWD) in the Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Ministry later confirmed that the incident occurred at Imam Al Redha Maatam in the village.

JWD is the official authority in charge of Maatams and religious centres of the Jaffari sect. JWD President Sheikh Mohsen Al Asfoor visited the site and was briefed about the causes of the fire and the damages it caused.

He instructed the concerned officials in the directorate to follow up on the matter and issue a report in coordination with the relevant authorities.

“The directorate is keen on taking care of mosques and maatams and always stresses the need to comply with all technical and safety requirements when building or expanding them,” Sheikh Al Asfoor.

On his part, Al Redha Maatam Head Sayed Mohammed explained that “the fire was caused by an electric short circuit that occurred at the air-conditioners main switch”. He added that the fire damaged the whole interior of facility but didn’t cause any injuries”.