Play with Fire

chapter Forty-Seven

“THIS IS BILL Stuart. I’m coming to you live from a raging fire that has destroyed the Eighth Street Mosque, one of only two Moslem worship centers in the city. Fire officials said that the first alarm came in around ten thirty, and they responded very quickly. However, Fire Chief Roger Upton told me that the building was fully ablaze when the first trucks arrived.

“We’ve learned that the mosque was administered by Dr. Muhammad Faisil, a Saudi-born American citizen who also served as the prayer center’s Imam, or holy man. He led the Friday night services here for many years, and he is held in high regard by the local Islamic community. We have been trying to reach Dr. Faisil for comment, but have been unable to locate him in the chaos that you see all around me. As soon as he becomes available, or there are new developments in the story of this tragic blaze, we’ll be back live to bring you up to date. For now, this is Bill Stuart, Channel 3 news, reporting from South Austin.”