Fire guts Prior Lake mosque; cause remains under investigation

The cause of a middle-of-the-night fire at a Prior Lake mosque and school is still unknown, but Islamic community leaders have asked mosques across the state to be alert.

A neighbor called Scott County 911 dispatchers at 2:22 a.m. Monday alerting them to a fire at 5995 Timber Trail S.E. in Prior Lake, according to a news release from the Prior Lake Fire Department. Prior Lake fire crews responded and were on the scene at 2:29 a.m. and met with “visible flames coming through the roof,” according to the fire department.

The department said that firefighters were pushed outside the building “due to the extent of the fire,” and that a portion of the roof subsequently collapsed. The fire department reported that no one was in the building upon arrival and no injuries to the public or firefigh