BALTIMORE, Md. — A person of interest was taken into custody Sunday evening, October 25, after a mosque was engulfed in flames in east Baltimore, according to police.
Baltimore police officers and firefighters responded shortly after 5 p.m. to a reported fire in the 2600 block of Harford Road in the Coldstream Homestead Montebello neighborhood. When officers arrived, they found the mosque fully engulfed in flames.
Fire crews worked to extinguish the blaze. No injuries were reported, police said.
Authorities have not yet disclosed what caused the fire or whether investigators suspect arson. The circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation.
Mosque Fire Reported on Harford Road
The fire prompted a response from local police officers and firefighters Sunday evening. The mosque was already fully engulfed when officers arrived at the scene, according to the initial report.
Police confirmed that a person of interest was taken into custody in connection with the incident. However, officials have not released additional details about the individual or announced any charges related to the fire.
Investigators are expected to determine how the fire started and whether any criminal activity was involved.
Recent Fatal Hit-and-Run on the Same Block
The mosque fire occurred on the same block of Harford Road where a 24-year-old pedestrian was killed in a hit-and-run crash two days earlier.
According to a separate report from local authorities, the driver involved in that crash fled the scene. Officers later discovered that the vehicle had been stolen during a carjacking earlier that evening in the 2000 block of Harford Road.
Baltimore police assigned the Citywide Robbery and Accident Investigation Units to investigate the fatal crash.
Authorities have not indicated that the earlier hit-and-run and Sunday’s mosque fire are connected. The two incidents remain separate matters based on the information released so far.
Investigation Into the Fire Continues
Police have not confirmed the cause of Sunday’s fire, and further details about the investigation have not been released.
Officials have also not announced whether the mosque sustained structural damage beyond the damage caused by the flames or provided an estimate of the loss.
The investigation is ongoing. Additional information may become available as authorities determine the circumstances surrounding the fire and provide further updates.
This story will be updated as more verified information is released.
