BELLEVUE, Wash. (AP) - Authorities say a fire severely damaged the Islamic Center of Eastside in Bellevue.
The Seattle Times reports no one was injured in the Wednesday afternoon blaze.
Bellevue Fire Department Lt. Brian Gomez says the building had been vacant since an arson fire last year, which heavily damaged the back of the wooden structure.
The fire Wednesday had already engulfed a large portion of the mosque when firefighters first arrived around 4:30 p.m.
The fire was deemed under control about a half hour later.
Wednesday’s blaze comes after a homeless man set the mosque on fire in January 2017. Police said there was no indication that fire was a hate crime. Isaac Wayne Wilson pleaded guilty to arson in that case.
Authorities are investigating the cause of Wednesday’s fire.
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Information from: The Seattle Times, http://www.seattletimes.com
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