Fire breaks out at Britain's largest mosque

A blaze broke out on Saturday at what is said to be western Europe’s largest mosque, located in southwest London.

Ten fire trucks were sent to fight the blaze at the Baitul Futuh Mosque in Morden.

Smoke could be seen across the city.

Police have not stated whether the blaze was intentional or accidental.

Hate crimes against Muslims in London have risen by nearly three quarters over the past year, according to police figures released on 7 September.

The Metropolitan Police recorded 816 Islamophobic crimes in the UK capital for the 12 months until the end of July – the previous year there were 478 documented attacks.

The highest rise was in the south-west borough of Merton, where attacks rose from eight to 29 year on year – an increase of 263 percent.

Islamophobic attacks have escalated in the past few years, with the police documenting 318 attacks in 2011. The areas with the highest number of attacks are in Merton, Islington, Southwark and Westminster.

One man, said to be in his 40s, was taken to hospital after suffering from smoke inhalation, according to the London Ambulance Service.

The mosque was built for the Ahmadiyya Muslim community to provide people with a meeting place and venue to hold social religious events.

The 5.2-acre (2.1-hectare) complex was completed in 2003. There is space for at least 10,500 people to pray, according to the mosque's website.

The dome stands 23 metres above ground level.

"It is a very beautiful building and what has happened is very sad," said Stephen Alambritis, leader of the Merton Council local authority.

"There were no people at prayer at the time. It does seem that evacuation procedures worked.

"The congregation there, especially on a Friday, are very large and peaceful and they add very much to the community. This will be a blow to their operation but they will be back."

The fire affected around half of the ground floor, part of the first floor and a section of the roof.

London Fire Brigade said the blaze had hit administration buildings and the "mosque itself is thankfully unaffected".