Investigators say a massive fire which swept through a 30,000 square foot building on the South Coast which included a Islamic prayer facility was accidental.
The blaze was discovered just after 9 Sunday night at a two story commercial building on the 600 block of Ward Drive, in Goleta. Dozens of Santa Barbara County firefighters battle the fire for more than three hours before fully controlling it.
It damaged about half of the 30,000 square foot building, which has a half dozen tenants. Among those housed in the building is the Islamic Society of Santa Barbara, which has been renting space in the building while planning and raising money for a permanent home.
Investigators say they have indications that the fire was accidental in nature, but because of heavy debris from the fire in the area believed to be its origin, they haven’t pinpointed the cause of the fire yet. No one was hurt.