The Sikh Cultural Society, the oldest and largest Sikh Gurdwara on the East Coast, erupted in flames around 12:15 a.m. Friday morning, March 8. About 26 people were reported to be sleeping inside.

At least 12 of the 26 boarders were visiting from India, including raagees. The Gurdwaras own Gianiji, Hardev Singh, also lived in the building with his wife, two daughters, and son.

Smoke filled the hallways of the second-floor living quarters in a wood frame structure (added to the original building), forcing people to break windows and jump to safety. One of the visitors, Munsha Singh, was credited with hearing a smoke detector and waking the rest of the boarders with his cries of "fire!" Most of the people inside the burning building broke windows, dropped about 15 feet, and landed on an awning before making their way to the ground. They said that the smoke was so heavy it was difficult to see or breathe.

It took 145 firefighters nearly four hours to bring the blaze under control. Firefighters broke through a back window to rescue 15 Sri Guru Granth Sahibs. Two firefighters were among the injured, said Assistant Chief Joseph Callan.

The Sikh Cultural Society Gurdwara was founded in 1965. The current building was originally a brick-faced 19th century Methodist Church which was bought in 1972 when there were only 150 to 200 Sikh families in the area. The ruined Gurdwara housed the divaan hall, bedrooms, a 15,000-book library, a computer lab and a large kitchen. It is all gone. There are now eight Gurdwaras serving more than 50,000 Sikhs in Queens, but the Sikh Cultural Society serving a neighborhood of about 25,000 Sikhs was the largest, according to its members.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Borough President Helen Marshall and other political leaders arrived on the scene to offer their condolences and help.

Investigators said that the fire started in the basement which housed a large kitchen, and were concentrating on the possibility of a gas leak. Assistant Chief Joseph Callan said neighbors had reported smelling gas the day before. But survivors of the blaze said they smelled no gas-like odors and disagreed with the kitchen-fire theory. "There was no smoke in the basement," said Surinder Singh, who woke up after hearing Munsha Singh scream "fire!". He said he went to the basement to look for someone, who was not there, and found it free of smoke and fire. The kitchen was routinely checked every night to make sure the gas was turned off. Two weeks earlier, the Fire Department gave a clean bill of health for the building inspection.

All persons in the building survived. Some were treated for minor injuries and smoke inhalation. One person was in critical condition because of a previous heart condition. Most of the survivors lost everything in the blaze, but they are being helped by the local sangat. Some stayed in homes of sangat members, others stayed at a nearby Gurdwara. A house across the street from the Gurdwara was used for divans that weekend.

On Sunday, the divan was held at the gymnasium of nearby St. Benedict Joseph Labre Parish school. It began peacefully, but was cut short when a fight broke out between two men during a speech by Dr. Amarjit Singh, visiting from Washington D.C. They grabbed the microphone and called each other names.

The Richmond Hill Times reports: "A shoving match ensued and a crowd quickly gathered around the podium, trying to break up the clash. Women grabbed their children and ran toward the back of the room. As chaos gripped the gymnasium floor, 10 teenage girls who had been sitting on stage began singing kirtans, or traditional songs. With tears streaming down their faces, they raised their voices, striving to be heard above the commotion on the floor." Later that night, a car belonging to the president of the Sikh Cultural Society was fired on by a B.B. gun, shattering the windows.

The management plans to put up a permanent tent in the back lot of the building for future divaans.