Firefighters are battling a blaze in the Parliament precinct in Cape Town. The cause of the fire is not known as of now.
A fire broke out at the South African parliament building in Cape Town on Sunday.
Cape Town Fire and Rescue confirmed the fire was at the Parliament building and added that firefighters are currently at the scene.
Large flames and a column of smoke could be seen coming from the area of the South African Parliament buildings. A statement by JP Smith, the City of Cape Town’s mayoral committee member for safety and security, said 36 firefighters were at the scene.
Parliament on Fire @ParliamentofRSA
Video: RB on Twitter
Statement: JPSmith pic.twitter.com/rWL75IW32Q— Ricardo Mackenzie (@ricardomackenzi) January 2, 2022
Minister of Public Works Patricia de Lille told reporters the Old Assembly building had caught fire. She added that the situation was mostly under control and that while an extractor was pulling the smoke out of the National Assembly the building was not on fire.
The cause of the blaze was still unknown, and no casualties have been reported yet. De Lille said CCTV footage was being searched to determine the cause of the fire.
The Houses of Parliament in Cape Town consist of three main sections. The oldest was constructed in 1884, and the newer sections were added in the 1920s and 1980s.
tg/sms (AFP, Reuters)
