South African firefighters on Sunday battled a fire that broke out at the parliament buildings in Cape Town.
According to the City of Cape Town, the Parliament building caught fire in the early hours of Sunday.
Cape Town mayoral committee member for safety and security Jean-Pierre Smith said alarm was raised around 5am (0300 GMT) and that initial reports indicated the fire started in an office on the third floor before spreading to other parts of the building.
“We currently have six firefighting appliances and approximately 36 firefighters on scene from Roeland Street, Sea Point, Salt River, Brooklyn, Goodwood and Milnerton,” Smith said.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing large flames and a column of smoke coming from the building.
Public Works Minister Patricia de Lille told reporters that the situation was mostly under control.
She said the fire had been contained in other parts of the building, but was still burning in the National Assembly chamber.
No casualties have been reported.
