Monday, 16 November 2020 _A historic wooden mosque in Istanbul has apparently sustained severe damages after a huge fire broke out on Sunday.
Turkish firefighters, working from both land and sea, put out the blaze at the Vanikoy Mosque. Videos showed heavy smoke pouring from the structure.
Istanbul’s Fire Department tweeted the fire had been extinguished and cooling efforts were ongoing. The firefighters prevented the fire from reaching a forest behind the mosque and the neighboring houses that line the Bosporus. They were aided by the coast guard.
"Three coast guard boats from the sea, five fire brigade trucks from the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and their crew were dispatched to the scene," the Governorship of Istanbul said in a statement.
The statement said that the fire broke out at around 1:30 pm.
The historic mosque, built in the 17th century during the reign of Ottoman Sultan IV Mehmed, is located on the Asian side of Istanbul along the Bosporus Strait. It is a wooden structure with a single minaret.
The cause of the fire was not yet determined and the city’s governor said an investigation had been launched.
Meanwhile, the imam of the mosque suffered a panic attack after thinking his children were trapped inside.
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