Blaze Destroy Maatam in Sitra

A maatam (community and religious centre) in the Capital Governorate has been destroyed by flames on Friday midnight. The fire occurred at 50-year-old Al Asafra Maatam in Sitra, and it was attributed to an electric short circuit. Civil Defence Director General Brigadier Mohammed Showaiter announced on Saturday that “Civil Defence teams extinguished in the morning a fire in a maatam in Sitra that was caused by short circuit.” The Director General confirmed that no injuries were registered. In a statement posted by Interior Ministry, Showaiter said that “the fire was reported to the operations room at 12:19 am and four civil defence vehicles reached the site within 9 minutes and started immediately to fight the flames.” He explained that “the damages were sustained because of the heat and smokes,” while he called upon the public to regularly maintain their electricity connections and devices, especially air-conditioning systems, considering their safety. Meanwhile, Jaffaria Waqf Directorate (JWD) of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Ministry said in a press statement that it will take the responsibility of reconstructing the centre.. JWD Chairman Sheikh Abdulmohsen Al Asfoor explained that the directorate was requested to fix the damages by the administration of the maatam. Sheikh Al Asfoor said that JWD offered a temporary tent to the administration so they can hold the commemorations of Ashoora (October 24), but the administration preferred to relocate the activities to a nearby hall, while the damaged building is renovated. “The building was established more than 50 years ago. The Engineering Services Department will work on demolishing the old building and reconstruct it, as per the residents’ request,” he clarified. A delegation of the directorate visited the centre on Saturday morning to stand on the damages caused by the blaze. Maintenance Department Head Ali Mirza said the maatam was damaged by 70 – 100 percent. He added that a technical report will be soon issued, ahead of the reconstruction works.