Victoria Police are investigating a suspicious fire that has destroyed Geelong’s mosque.
The Bostock Sve Manifold Heights mosque, housed in a former church, was well alight by the time fire crews arrived, the CFA said.
Fire crews took an hour to contain the fire. The roof completely gave way due to the ferocity of the blaze.
Police said a nearby resident heard what appeared to be a ‘bang’ at the property and then noticed the mosque alight about 2.15am.
Police said Imam Mohammad Ramzan and his family, including several children, were sleeping in an adjacent home and escaped unharmed.
The arson squad is investigating.
It was the fifth church fire in the region in the last eight months.
The 103-year-old Geelong West Presbyterian Church on the corner of Pakington and Waratah streets was set alight at 4.30am on 15 April.
Two Norlane churches only two blocks apart were hit by an arsonist, with one destroyed and the other badly damaged in December.
A 140-year-old Bannockburn church and school were razed in a suspected arson attack in October.
Suspicious blazes also destroyed churches around Melbourne in April 2015.
