A huge blaze at the Baitul Futuh Mosque in Morden is being tackled by more than 70 firefighters.
The fire broke out at the London Road mosque around 12pm and ten fire crews were still tackling the flames four hours later.
No one was injured but one man was admitted to hospital with breathing difficulties.
Crews are still working hard in #Morden to contain the spread of the fire inside the mosque: http://t.co/Cb5cY27U7D pic.twitter.com/pEEZNUnMoG
— London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire) September 26, 2015
London Fire Brigade Station Commander Philip Morton, who was at the scene, said: “It is a fairly severe fire and I can imagine there will be significant damage to the mosque but we’re working as hard as we can to get the fire under control.”
When asked whether there was any suspicion of foul play, Commander Morton said it was too early to determine the cause but that a specialist fire investigation team will enter the building as soon as it is safe.
Tooting MP Sadiq Khan tweeted his response to the fire, thanking emergency services and saying his thoughts and prayers were with those affected.
Awful scenes at Baitul Futuh Mosque. Thanks to @LondonFire for their quick response. My thoughts and prayers are with those affected. — Sadiq Khan MP (@SadiqKhan) September 26, 2015
A Ahmadiyya Muslim Association spokesman said the fire brigade arrived within five minutes and that everyone had been evacuated from the building.
The mosque, built in 1999, describes itself as the largest mosque in western Europe.
