A major fire erupted at the South African parliament building in Cape Town, with flames bursting from the roof of a building and a plume of smoke that could be seen from miles away, reports say.
The fire is believed to have started in one of the older buildings in the precinct, leading to a security cordon near the cathedral where the ashes of the anti-apartheid hero, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, were buried on Saturday.
Meanwhile, images broadcast on television showed flames leaping from the roof of one large building, while several others in the parliament precinct including the National Assembly were enveloped in a thick cloud of black smoke.
Firefighters arrived at the building a few minutes after receiving the initial call at 06:12 local time (04:12 GMT) on Sunday, January 2, 2022, the City Fire Services said, as large flames and a huge column of smoke engulfed parts of the compound.
National Assembly Speaker, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, told a press conference that the National Assembly had caught fire, contrary to previous reports that the Old Assembly building had been the only one affected. Mapisa-Nqakula said the fire will not prevent the State of the Nation Address from going ahead in February.
Minister warns against speculations
Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Patricia De Lille, told the press conference that the National Assembly was still burning.
“We have not been able to contain the fire in the national assembly chambers. Part of the ceilings have collapsed”.
Patricia De Lille
The precinct has three main sections, the original Parliament building completed in the late 1800s and two newer parts built in the 20th century. Historical artefacts inside the premises are likely to have been damaged or destroyed.
The fire initially was concentrated at the old Parliament building, which is located behind the National Assembly, De Lille told reporters. She had initially said firefighters had the situation under control, but the flames later spread to the current Parliament building.
De Lille however, cautioned against speculations on the causes of the fire until investigations are concluded.
“Until such a time that a report has been furnished that there was arson, we have to be careful not to make suggestions that there was an attack”.
Patricia De Lille
Investigations on the cause of the fire
However, authorities are investigating a suspect faulty fire detection equipment and President Cyril Ramaphosa said a person has been taken in for questioning. “I believe someone is being held and is being questioned”, the President is quoted to have said.
Sources say, the President arrived at parliament around 1:30 pm on Sunday accompanied by Premier Alan Winde and Public Works Minister Patricia De Lille to view the damages. President Ramaphosa and many of South Africa’s high-ranking politicians were in Cape Town for the funeral service of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, which took place on Saturday at the city’s St. George’s Cathedral, about a block away from the Parliament precinct.
Cape Town’s mayoral committee member for safety and security, Jean-Pierre Smith, said fire had also gutted the third floor of the Old Assembly building and that the roof had collapsed.
Jean-Pierre Smith warned that the “fire is not under control and cracks in the walls of the building have been reported. The damage will be significant, especially if it’s not contained soon”.
Smith added that firefighters were still battling to bring the blaze under control and that two aircrafts had been deployed.
No injuries have been reported in the fire which was spotted by security guards. Parliament was closed for the holidays at the time of the incident.
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