Fire at South African parliament in Cape Town

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Dozens of firefighters were at the scene battling the blaze, which sent plumes of thick black smoke into the sky above parliament.

The fire started in an office space before spreading to the National Assembly chambers, and was still burning hours after it started on Sunday morning, according to mayoral committee member JP Smith.

Smith said the blaze was “not under control” yet and that firefighters were dealing with a partial roof collapse.

Smith also said the fire alarm system appeared not to have functioned properly, because firefighters were on the scene before the system sounded the alarm.

Public Works and Infrastructure minister Patricia de Lille told a news conference outside parliament that there were no reports of any injuries yet.

“This is a very sad day for our democracy because parliament is the home of our democracy and parliament is also a strategic key point,” de Lille said.

This is a developing story, more to follow…



Source : Nbcnewyork