Fire at FL Mosque of Pulse Shooter Probed

Sept. 12, 2016
Fort Pierce firefighters encountered heavy fire.

Fire broke out early Monday at the Fort Pierce mosque where Orlando massacre shooter Omar Mateen prayed and worshipped.

According to the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office, a call about 12:30 a.m. alerted authorities that flames were coming out of Islamic Center of Fort Pierce, 1104 W. Midway Road.

"The fire district investigators are here along with the sheriff's office arson investigators. At this time there's no indication whether or not it is an arson or an accidental fire, that is yet to be determined," David Thompson, the director of law enforcement for the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office told reporters at the scene.

The State Fire Marshal's office is also investigating the cause of the fire.

Mateen, who lived in Fort Pierce, killed 49 people at Orlando's Pulse nightclub in June and was known to worship at the mosque. Mateen was killed in a shootout with police.

Leaders at the Islamic Center have said that since the nightclub shooting the facility has received threats and that security had been stepped up.

There were no apparent injuries in the fire and the extent of damage has not yet been determined.

Thompson was asked about any coincident between the blaze and the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

"That's always a conclusion that someone can jump to. As I said at this time we're unsure what even the cause of the fire is. So I wouldn't want to speculate where this is related or unrelated," he said.

Sun Sentinel news partner WPEC-Ch. 12 contributed to this report.

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©2016 the Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)

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