BRAMPTON, Ontario, Canada—An electrical plug failure has been determined as the cause behind the fire that destroyed part of the Mayfield Gurdwara building near Brampton, Ontario. The incident took place around 2:30 AM on February 9.
By the time fire trucks reached the Gurdwara, the main divan hall, including the throne (takht) of Guru Granth Sahib had been severely damaged. Sikh24 has confirmed that Guru Granth Sahib’s saroop (scripture) was not installed on the throne at the time of the incident.
The incident took place due to overheating of the electrical plug where the ‘degh’ warmer was plugged in. The warmer was installed very close to the parkash area. These types of warmers are frequently used at Gurdwaras, however they require high voltage to operate. Many Gurdwara Sahibs operate in old buildings where such devices may lead to overheating due to low voltage wiring.
[…] February 10, 2015 (3:30 PM EST)—Updated story on Gurdwara fire is available here. […]