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About 70 firefighters fought to keep out the blaze that broke out Sunday morning.
A huge fire that destroyed parts of the South African parliament in Cape Town has been brought under control by some 70 firefighters after fighting. hold fire, which erupted in the early hours of Sunday.
“The fire was brought under control at night,” spokeswoman Jermaine Carelse said Monday, adding that the flames in the oldest part of the building have not been extinguished.
Police said a 49-year-old suspect inside parliament had been arrested and was due to appear in court this week.
“A man has been arrested in parliament and is still being questioned. We have opened a criminal case. He has been arrested and will appear in court on Tuesday, “said police spokesman Thandi Mbambo.
He suspects he has tampered with the sprinklers, and they have not been activated.
The fire broke out on the oldest wing of the parliamentary complex, which was completed in 1884 and has rooms with wooden panels. After the old wing of the building was damaged, flames spread to the new parts of the complex that are now in use.
As the day dawned, thick thick black smoke could be seen surrounding the magnificent Victorian façade.
Videos shared on social media showed huge flames leaping from the roof.
Officials said the entire National Assembly headquarters had been destroyed.
“The whole chamber where members are sitting … has burned down,” said Moloto Mothapo, a parliamentary spokesman, adding that the fire had apparently started in two areas of the group.
The President @CyrilRamaphosa assisted by the Minister @MondliGungubele, Minister @PatriciaDeLille, Deputy Minister @ZiziKodwa, and Premier @AlanWinde As he inspects the damage to the buildings of the Cape Town Parliament. pic.twitter.com/ktREgnBhrL
– Presidency South Africa ???????? (@PresidencyZA) January 2, 2022
The roof of the Old Assembly building and parts of the roof of the New Assembly building collapsed.
Jean-Pierre Smith, a member of the Cape Town Mayor’s Committee on Safety and Security, told reporters that the entire complex had suffered severe water and fire damage and that “nothing” had been left of the historic treasury, including about 4,000 heritage and works of art. some are from the 16th century.
The parliament building houses a collection of rare books and an original copy of the now-defunct old Afrikaans national anthem Die Stem van Suid-Afrika (Voice of South Africa).
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