Giant Dome Collapses in Indonesia Mosque Fire

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The large dome of a grand mosque in Indonesia's capital Jakarta collapsed after a major fire, without causing any casualties.

Dramatic footage obtained by AFP showed a thick column of grey smoke engulfing the dome while the flames destroyed the lower parts of the Jakarta Islamic Centre Grand Mosque on Wednesday, Oct. 19.

Several construction workers were inspecting the fire from up close when the dome collapsed, sending them fleeing.

Police said there were no casualties.

The grand mosque, located inside an Islamic center complex, was undergoing renovation.

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"We have discussed the possibility of continuing the renovation... the most important [thing] is we can use it [the mosque] again soon," Jakarta's acting governor Heru Budi Hartono told Metro TV Thursday, Oct. 20.

The cause of the fire, which took hours to extinguish, is under investigation but police said they suspect it started from the sparks created when workers tried to cut waterproofing membranes for the dome.

Four construction workers have been questioned in connection with the fire, police added.
On Thursday, Oct. 20, firefighters were deployed again to the scene after a plume of smoke from the debris rose into the air in the afternoon or about 18 hours after the fire had been put out on Wednesday around 20:30 local time.

Head of the criminal detective unit at the North Jakarta Police AKBP Febri Isman Jaya said that the smoke came from the debris.