Muslim youths help douse fire at Kerala temple

KOZHIKODE: Religious differences did not come in the way of three Muslim youths as they helped to extinguish a fire at a Hindu temple. The youths were on their way to buy clothes for Eid-ul-Zuha when they saw the roof of the Vettakkorumakam temple near Tirur in Malappuram on fire. They stopped their bikes and asked the temple priest if they could help. The priest said yes, and the youths joined the fire-fighting effort. Their quick response helped prevent the fire from spreading further through the wooden rafters in the temple's roof.

"We saw fire and smoke from the roof of the temple, and we stopped our bikes and approached the temple gate. We saw the priest and four others attempting to douse the fire and we asked if we could enter the temple premises and help them extinguish the fire. They said yes, and we joined them," said 23-year-old Mohammed Noufal of Kainikkara near Tirur.

Noufal climbed onto the tin-roofed structure in front of the main temple to splash water on the burning portion. His friends Mohammed Basil P and Russel P provided water from the ground and fetched additional water from a neighbouring house. "First we helped in pouring water from inside but it wasn't effective as the water was not properly reaching the burning part high up on the roof, and we asked them if there was a ladder and they provided one and I climbed to the tin sheeted structure in the front and poured water to the burning portion of the roof. Later, fire and rescue department authorities arrived and doused the fire completely," Noufal said.

Temple priest Krishna Narayanan said the youths' assistance prevented the fire from spreading. "We didn't have people who could climb on top and douse the fire. The youths were ready and expressed their willingness to do so and we allowed them to climb on top. They didn't have any hesitation," he said. The priest added that while many passersby on two-wheelers merely watched, the young men approached him and asked how they could help. Noufal said that they were driven by just the thought of helping in time of need, which transcends all other considerations as all are humans.