Arson fire destroys Sikh Temple
Painful to read...especalily when the Guru Granth Saib was burned along with the gurdwara...
http://www.wltribune.com/
Arson fire destroys temple
By KAREN LONGWELLTribune Staff Writer
Mar 28 2006
Arson is being blamed for a fire that completely destroyed the interior of the Gurdwara Western Singh Sabha Sikh Temple on Sunday afternoon.
Sean Alan Downey, 18, of Williams Lake was charged on Monday with arson and damage to property, says Cpl. Marc Menard in a press release. Williams Lake Crown Counsel will be seeking to have him remanded in custody for a 30-day psychiatric evaluation, adds Menard.
Williams Lake RCMP wish to inform the public that this is not a racially motivated incident, says Menard.
Damage to the inside of the temple is quite extensive and a lot of work will be needed to restore the temple to its original state, says Menard. RCMP investigators have roughly estimated the damage to be somewhere around $500,000, he says. Further investigation by insurance agents will be more accurate, he adds. No injuries were reported, says Cpl. Rocky Calhoun in a press release.
The fire also destroyed the main altar in the temple and a holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib, which is very emotional and painful for the members, says spokesperson for the temple Gian Singh Sandhu. "The holy book is living proof of the guru and we treat the book no differently than a human being," says Sandhu.
The temple priest Davinder Singh lives in a suite in the temple and was inside when the incident occurred, says Sandhu. The temple holds classes for children every Sunday afternoon and the class finished at about 3:15 p.m. this Sunday. Shortly after the class, at about 3:30 p.m., the priest saw a young man break a window and enter the temple. The priest saw the incident on a security system monitor in his room, says Sandhu. The priest called 911 and at the same time heard the man running upstairs, he says.
With the language barrier the priest had some difficulty communicating with emergency services so he called a member of the temple executive right after calling 911, says Sandhu. As the priest was leaving the building, he saw smoke, says Sandhu, and he rushed out of the building.
Sandhu is impressed with the quick action of emergency services. "Credit goes to the RCMP for quickly responding to the call and apprehending the fellow," says Sandhu. "We are very appreciative."
RCMP believe the fire at the temple is related to a structure fire at a mobile home in the 1100 block of Third Avenue, says Calhoun. Williams Lake Fire Department and the RCMP responded to a report of a mobile home fire shortly after 3 p.m., says Calhoun.
The fire department was able to confine the fire to the bedroom of the mobile home, says Calhoun. Fire Chief Dale Moon says the mobile home fire was not major.
While the fire department was dealing with the mobile home fire they were called to the structure fire at the temple on Pine Street, says Calhoun. Both fires are believed to be related and the police have reason to believe that they were deliberately set, says Calhoun.
Moon says about 30 members attended along with crew from 150 Mile House.
The fire was under control after about one hour, says Moon. He adds that they were fortunate to stop it when we did. "The shear hard work of the members stopped the fire before it went any further," says Moon.
Sandhu says the temple will go ahead with services next Sunday in a yet to be determined location. He adds that the temple was insured.really shouldnt have happend.
http://www.wltribune.com/
Quote
What the hell is wrong with some people nowadays?
Sean Alan Downey... wat a fukin idiot
to fucking idiots of all kinds.
A lot of people don't know the difference. I'd be willing to bet this moron didn't.
