Fire at Connecticut Sikh Association

October 22, 1998

Source: The Hartford Courant

On October 22, 1998, The Hartford Courant reported on a massive fire that destroyed a large commercial building in downtown Hartford on October 20th. The Connecticut Sikh Association, which rented the second floor of the building and used it for worship services and other activities, had stored their copy of the Sikh holy books inside the building. The fire gutted most of the second floor, but the holy books and many religious artifacts survived the fire. Hargurpreet Singh, a member of the Connecticut Sikh Association, stated "we respect that book more than out lives...you can buy another copy, but to Sikhs it is a living book." No one was hurt in the fire.