Fire Destroys Madrasah Classrooms, Copies Of Al-Quran Intact

BARABAI, S Kalimantan, July 13 (Antara) - Two copies of Al-Quran were found to be intact after fire destroyed three classrooms of an Islamic Senior High school, Madrasah Aliyah Negeri I, in Barabai, Hulu Sungai Tengah District of South Kalimantan Province. "The fire damaged only the front and side cover, whereas the main part of the Al-Quran remained intact, although the entire building was gutted," Dayat, spokesperson of the madrasah, said here, Wednesday. One of the copies of the Holy Book was a printed version, while another that survived the fire was a collective note of Al Quran chapters, hand-written by the students. The fire, suspected to be triggered by a short circuit, rapidly burnt through the three classrooms that were made entirely of wood. No student was killed in the fire, as they were outside the classroom preparing for an orientation program when the fire broke out. "Thanks to the fire brigade and residents, the fire could be doused immediately, preventing it from spreading to nearby houses and other classrooms," Dayat remarked. H.M. Yamani, head of local religious affairs office of Hulu Sungai Tengah, visited the madrasah. He will propose a reconstruction plan for the Islamic school to the local administration of South Kalimantan. MAN I is one of the popular schools in Hulu Sungai Tengah District, as it has several national achievements to its name in the field of education.