Grey Street Mosque fire contained, ‘at least’ R10 million worth of damage

A blaze that engulfed parts of the Grey Street Mosque in Durban’s CBD on Monday 24 August has been contained, and members of the iconic place of worship’s board have said that damage has been limited to adjoining apartments, with the mosque itself unaffected and no casualties reported. 

Damage to the building is likely to cost around R10 million, according to the mosque’s chairman, who said that the historic building had been largely unused since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March. 

Grey Street Mosque spared major damage by fire, ‘facade’ badly affected

A representative of the mosque told SABC News that the damage had, thankfully, been limited to the external facade of the building, and that the mosque itself had been spared a tragic fate.

“The fire started in flat number three, and moved to the other flats,” he said. 

“There are no casualties on hand, and the mosque is not damaged in any way – thank the almighty God for that. The shops that are below the flat are not damaged either, apart from water damage.”

He said that the occupants of the damaged flats were predominantly employees of the mosque, and said that they would relocate them as soon as possible. 

“Half the people that live in the flats are personnel of the mosque, and we will have to find an alternative accommodation for them but with the blessing of God [we have avoided a devastating outcome].”

AB Mohamed: Cost of Grey Street Mosque damage likely to exceed R10 million  

Advocate AB Mohamed, chairman of the Grey Street Mosque, said that the cost of the damage could amount to an estimated R10 million. 

“Next year will be 140 years since the establishment of the mosque,” he said, adding that the building – which held the status as the southern hemisphere’s largest mosque until the late ‘70s – hadn’t been frequented by worshippers since the lockdown came into effect .

“We have been observing the COVID-19 situation since March, so we haven’t really opened the mosque yet for many of the congregation.”

He said that the building is insured, but speculated that the costs of repairs would be extensive.

“Thank the almighty, the fire has been contained. It has been covered by insurance as well.”

“Fortunately the mosque has not been affected – it’s just the outer facade. I would think that the damage would be at least R10 million.” 

No casualties reported  

KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Emergency Medical Services (EMS) spokesman Robert McKenzie said that firefighting units are still investigating the scene, having successfully contained the fire swiftly.

“The fire has been extinguished and the Fire Department is doing the final sweep of the building,”

“No patients [were injured], fortunately. There is structural damage to three neighbouring buildings,” he said.

“Reports at the scene is that firefighters are searching the structure for any possible victims. There are no reports of casualties or fatalities at this stage. Paramedics are still standing by at the scene,” Mckenzie said.