A mosque in East Baltimore was fully engulfed in flames Sunday evening, and police took a person of interest into custody at the scene. Baltimore police and fire crews converged on the 2600 block of Harford Road around 5 p.m. to battle the blaze, which firefighters were able to extinguish. No injuries were reported.
The response and the detention of a person of interest were first reported by CBS News, which said the mosque was fully engulfed when crews arrived in the East Baltimore neighborhood Sunday evening. Beyond confirming that someone was taken into custody at the scene, authorities have not released additional details about the person of interest or the circumstances surrounding the blaze.
Fire Crews Knock Down Flames, No Injuries Reported
Despite the mosque being fully engulfed, firefighters were able to extinguish the flames, and the fire did not cause any reported injuries, per the same account. The 2600 block of Harford Road, where crews responded around 5 p.m., sits in the heart of East Baltimore.
Fires at houses of worship tend to draw fast scrutiny, and mosque fires in particular have prompted federal civil rights cases elsewhere in the country this year. In Philadelphia, a 60-year-old man was indicted on charges including malicious damage by means of fire to a building used in interstate commerce and damage to religious real property in connection with an arson fire at a mosque there last summer, according to the Department of Justice. And in Minnesota, a man was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison earlier this year for setting fire to the Masjid Al-Rahma Mosque in Bloomington back in April 2023, the Justice Department announced.
What Remains Unknown
It has not been established what caused the Harford Road fire, and officials have not said whether the person of interest faces any charges. The report also does not identify the mosque by name or detail the extent of any property damage. Hoodline will update this story as more information becomes available.
