Fire in South Africa – Still flames in the Cape Town Parliament – News

• A big fire broke out in South Africa’s parliament in the tourist metropolis of Cape Town. Dozens of firefighters are still fighting the fire on the third floor of the parliament building.
• Apparently an alarm system did not work. This only started when the fire brigade was already extinguishing the fire.
• No one has been injured in the fire, according to security officials.
• The investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing – there is said to have been an arrest.

According to the AFP news agency, the fire broke out during the night. In the morning, the flames were then visible from the outside – when the fire began to spread on the third floor of the building.

The fire initially broke out at the rear of the building complex that houses the Old Assembly Chamber and the National Council of the Provinces and a few hours later it spread to the building of the National Assembly, in which the parliament sits, said the provincial Minister for Public Works and Infrastructure, Patricia de Lille.

The roof of one of the buildings had collapsed, while some walls of the government complex were cracked, it said. Video footage showed thick black columns of smoke rising from the building.

The Parliament building is home to many national artifacts. As a member of the city security committee said, it is still unclear whether these have also been damaged.

No injuries

It was not immediately clear whether there were people in the building, said Jean-Pierre Smith, member of the security unit of the Mayor of Cape Town. According to the Cape Town ambulance service, however, there were no injuries. The investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing. According to President Cyril Ramaphosa, a 51-year-old man has been arrested and is being interrogated.

Apparently, the fire alarms were not triggered immediately and the sprinkler system did not work properly, said President Ramaphosa at noon on site. He is glad that this building, which is so important for South African democracy, did not burn down completely.

Nevertheless, it is still unclear when the historic building can be used again. As early as March, the building fell victim to a fire that was quickly contained, which also started from the oldest wings. The newer attachments were built in the 1920s and 1980s.