Fire at Tacoma mosque being investigated as arson

The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office believes that a Monday fire at a Tacoma mosque may have been the work of an arsonist.

White Center businesses reopening after destructive fire

The fire was reported shortly after 8 p.m. on Monday night at the Islamic Center of Tacoma in the 2000 block of Bridgeport Way. Authorities say that the mosque was occupied at the time of the fire, but that everyone was safely evacuated.

Detectives with the sheriff’s office say they are initiating an arson investigation into the incident.

A donation page was created to help rebuild the mosque at this link, having already raised over $126,000 in just the last 48 hours. Eyewitness reports described on the page claim that “an individual was seen throwing a Molotov cocktail at the property.” Investigators have not corroborated that exact account, but have said that a man was seen fleeing the scene of the fire shortly after it was set.

Damage from the fire has “completely rendered the center unusable,” according to the mosque’s representatives.

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