Part of the Sat Chit Ananda Temple has been burned apparently as a result of illegal dumping and negligent fires.
Residents of the area are now up in arms since the Fernwood Temple, as it is commonly known, is a sacred building and they believe that there should not be any dumping of refuse near such a site. Residents claim that the fire originally started with rubble and other illegally-dumped refuse next to the temple, before spreading to part of the temple itself. “There was a fire at the temple this morning. This is due to negligence. Someone set the rubble and illegal dumping next to the temple alight. It then spread to the rubble next to the prefab, damaging the kitchen area,” explained long-time temple devotee and community member, Rajendra Jaggernath. Jaggernath also appeals to the community to be more vigilant of unchecked fires. “As we are now entering the winter months, residents should be more cautious about the spreading of fires, especially in open fields. All it will take is rubble, garden and household refuse that is illegally dumped in these open fields to fuel a small fire into disaster. We are appealing to the community to please not stack building material and rubble against your homes and property, this is a recipe for disaster,” he said.
