The cause of a middle-of-the-night fire at a Prior Lake mosque and school is still unknown, but Islamic community leaders have asked mosques across the state to be alert.

A neighbor called Scott County 911 dispatchers at 2:22 a.m. Monday alerting them to a fire at 5995 Timber Trail S.E. in Prior Lake, according to a news release from the Prior Lake Fire Department. Prior Lake fire crews responded and were on the scene at 2:29 a.m. and met with “visible flames coming through the roof,” according to the fire department.

The department said that firefighters were pushed outside the building “due to the extent of the fire,” and that a portion of the roof subsequently collapsed. The fire department reported that no one was in the building upon arrival and no injuries to the public or firefighters. The structure formerly housed a Christian church.

The Masjid Hamza Al-Mahmood Foundation doubles as the Baitul Hikmah Academy. Community leaders at a news conference outside the mosque on Monday afternoon said the school serves more than 200 children.

Because it is a religious institution, a full investigation will be completed by the state fire marshal and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the fire department said.

The Prior Lake blaze followed President Donald Trump’s recent immigration crackdown against Minnesota’s large Somali community. The president has linked the enforcement action to a series of fraud cases involving state government social services programs in which many defendants have roots in the East African country.

Trump last week labeled Minnesota Somalis as “garbage” and said he didn’t want them in the United States.

The president’s actions come as Republicans have stepped up their criticism of Gov. Tim Walz, the 2024 Democratic vice presidential candidate, for his alleged failures in preventing the fraud. It’s already a major issue in the 2026 gubernatorial race as Walz seeks a third term.

Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Council on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR) for Minnesota, said at the Monday news conference that alerts have been sent to mosques throughout the state as a safety precaution, “even though we still do not know the nature of this.”

“We do not know exactly what happened here, but the state of Minnesota continues to lead in the nation in attacks against mosques. Over 40-plus incidents and arsons,” Hussein said. “Like I said, we don’t know exactly what happened here. We hope that it’s just an accident.”

Hussein said CAIR estimates roughly 40 attacks on mosques in Minnesota over the past four years, with 16 of those in 2024 alone. He added that while there is a lot unknown about Monday’s fire, what he does know is that there’s “elevated fear and anxiety” for the Muslim community in Minnesota.

“And that’s not new, but that’s been part of the main story that we’ve been dealing with for the past week and a half,” Hussein said.

This report includes information from the Associated Press.

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