Sometimes you have to burn it to make a payment.
Via Statesman:
A fire early Saturday completely burned down a building that had been under construction by the Islamic Center of Lake Travis and was just a few months away from completion.
Lake Travis Fire and Rescue received a call at about 3:30 a.m. about a fire in the 4700 block of Doss Road in Lake Travis’ Hudson Bend area, according to a news release. When firefighters arrived, the three-story building was fully engulfed in flames.
The Travis County fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire. No injuries were reported.
Islamic Center of Lake Travis board member Shakeel Rashed said all that remains of the building is the concrete foundation.
“We are shocked, and it’s a bit of surprise because we were not expecting something like this,” Rashed said. “Something that we worked so hard for, seeing that in a sad state is not easy.”
Rashed emphasized that the group didn’t want to speculate on the fire’s cause until the investigation is complete. Neither the electrical system nor gas connections had been installed yet, he said, but “it could possibly be anything,” even someone looking for shelter who might have started a fire for warmth on a night that was Austin’s coldest in six years.
As far as whether it could have been a religiously motivated crime, Rashed said: “We really, really hope and believe that it’s not that.”
The organization had cameras installed inside and outside the building, which the fire marshal will be reviewing, he added.