US mosque destroyed in early-morning blaze; cause yet to be determined

Jeff Cowan, battalion chief for the city’s fire department, says firefighters and police officers found the mosque completely consumed in flames when they arrived.

The blaze was extinguished about four hours later. No injuries have been reported. Victoria Fire Marshal Tom Legler has asked for help from state and federal fire investigators to determine what caused the blaze.

The Islamic center’s president, Shahid Hashmi, wouldn’t speculate about whether it was arson, but he says the building was burglarized a week ago. The paper reports that in July 2013, a man admitted to painting “H8,” a computer shorthand for “hate,” on the outside of the building.

The mosque has a congregation of 100 members. Victoria is about 115 miles southwest of Houston.