An under-construction gurdwara, which was set to serve Portland metro area’s largest Sikh community in the Washington state, was destroyed in a massive fire apparently caused by gas leak.
The former athletic-club-turned-Sikh-gurdwara, valued at USD 213,000, burned to the ground early Friday after the fire sparked just before 2.30 am local time at the 17,000 square-foot property in the east Vancouver Landover-Sharmel neighbourhood, The Columbian reported.
The Guru Ramdass Sikh Community, the largest Sikh group in the Portland metro area with about 200 member families, had bought the building in 2008 and had nearly completed renovations.
They planned to move from their small Rose Village gurdwara on O Street to the new building in December, the Sikh group’s member Gurjit Singh was quoted as saying.
‘It was devastating,’ group president Sarabjeet Teja said of the fire. ‘We’ve been working on this the last four years.’
The gurdwara stood in charred ruins as smoke filled the neighbourhood. Parts of debris of the building were spotted in yards hundreds of feet away.
The building is a total loss, said Vancouver Fire Dept spokesman Capt. Kevin Murray. According to county property records, it was valued at USD 213,000.
Murray said the fire was reported by neighbours. When the first engine arrived seven minutes later, the entire building was engulfed in flames, he said.
The former athletic-club-turned-Sikh-gurdwara, valued at USD 213,000, burned to the ground early Friday after the fire sparked just before 2.30 am local time at the 17,000 square-foot property in the east Vancouver Landover-Sharmel neighbourhood, The Columbian reported.
The Guru Ramdass Sikh Community, the largest Sikh group in the Portland metro area with about 200 member families, had bought the building in 2008 and had nearly completed renovations.
They planned to move from their small Rose Village gurdwara on O Street to the new building in December, the Sikh group’s member Gurjit Singh was quoted as saying.
‘It was devastating,’ group president Sarabjeet Teja said of the fire. ‘We’ve been working on this the last four years.’
The gurdwara stood in charred ruins as smoke filled the neighbourhood. Parts of debris of the building were spotted in yards hundreds of feet away.
The building is a total loss, said Vancouver Fire Dept spokesman Capt. Kevin Murray. According to county property records, it was valued at USD 213,000.
Murray said the fire was reported by neighbours. When the first engine arrived seven minutes later, the entire building was engulfed in flames, he said.