Fire broke out at Al-Aqsa same time as Paris’s cathedral burned

JERUSALEM: A fire broke out at a guard’s booth in the courtyard at the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem.

The blaze broke out on Monday evening around the same time as Paris’s Notre-Dame cathedral burned.

Footage showed smokes and flames and the firefighters can be seen putting out the flames using fire extinguishers at an open area. The fire was “quickly extinguished”, police said, adding the site remains open

The cause was being investigated.

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The Waqf religious organisation which oversees the site said the fire burned a guard’s room above what is known as the Marwani prayer room.

It said the fire was caused by youths playing with fire, without providing further details.

The Jerusalem compound is holy to both Muslims. It is considered the third-holiest site in Islam.

With AFP inputs