South Africa: Parliament Building Catches Fire In Cape Town

A major fire has broken out in South African parliament building in Cape Town. Firefighters then arrived at the building as large flames and a huge column of smoke were seen at around 05;30 GMT on the Sunday. The fire started in the early hours of the morning and in the third floor offices and spread to National Assembly chamber,

City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue Service spokesman Jermaine Carelse then told local media. No people have been injured in the fire, which was reported by security guards, Carelse said. Mayoral committee member for safety and security, Jean Pierre Smith, said flames had engulfed the the roof of the National Assembly building.

The fire has not been contained and reports of cracks in some walls of the building have been confirmed, Smith also said, according to the South Africa’s Sunday Times. Minister of Public Works Patricia de Lille, however, said that it wasn’t the National Assembly building that had caught fire, as indicated earlier by the Cape Town city

council, but Old Assembly. It is not National Assembly that is on fire. What’s coming up there is an extractor pulling all the smoke out of the National Assembly, she said, according to local media outlet. She added that the flames had been mostly brought under control and that CCTV footage was being reviewed to determine

what caused the incident. Media also reported that 36 firefighters were initially sent to scene and authorities later then called for additional resources as they tried to contain the blaze.

Firemen spray water on flames erupting from the South Africa’s Parliament building