The National Assembly, where parliamentarians sit, has been completely destroyed by a massive fire in South Africa’s houses of parliament in Cape Town, a spokesman said on Sunday as the blaze raged.
“The entire chamber where the members sit has burned down,” Moloto Mothapo said, adding that the fire had not yet been put out.
There have been no reports of casualties so far, but President Cyril Ramaphosa told reporters on the scene that an arrest had been made.
“Right now, someone is being held and questioned,” he said.
Smoke billowed from the building against a blue sky as the day dawned.
“The roof of the Old Assembly building has collapsed and is gone,” said Jean-Pierre Smith, a member of the Cape Town mayoral committee for safety and security.
The historic structure houses a collection of rare books as well as a damaged original copy of the former Afrikaans national anthem “Die Stem van Suid-Afrika” (“The Voice of South Africa”).
“The fire has not been contained,” Smith said, adding that “the entire building has suffered extensive smoke and water damage.”
The flames spread to newer parts of the complex that are currently in use after ravaging the older wing of the building.
“Firefighters are currently battling a fire in the New Wing, which has engulfed the National Assembly Chamber,” parliamentary spokesman Mothapo said earlier in the day during an online press conference.
At midday, the imposing red and white structure was still shrouded in a thick cloud of black.
Tutu’s burial is a few metres away.
The first firefighters to arrive at the scene fought the flames for several hours before being forced to retreat and request reinforcements.
Around 70 firefighters were eventually dispatched, some of whom used a crane to douse the fire with water.
Patricia de Lille, the former mayor of Cape Town and now a minister, warned that the fire would take several hours to put out.
Fine showers of grey ash fell from the ceiling to the floor, which was already littered with debris, inside the rooms.
The fire could spread quickly through the old rooms, which are decorated with wood, thick carpets, and curtains, according to emergency services.
Giant flames leapt from the roof in images broadcast on television earlier.
The area surrounding the fire in the affluent area was quickly cordoned off.
The cordon extended to a square where flowers were still on display in front of St. George’s Cathedral, which hosted the funeral of anti-apartheid icon Archbishop Desmond Tutu on Saturday.
On Sunday, his ashes were interred in the cathedral after a simple, no-frills mass in which he was buried in a cheap coffin, as per Tutu’s wishes.
This is the year’s second fire.
Since 1910, when separate administrations formed a union under British dominion and became a precursor to the modern South African republic, Cape Town has been home to South Africa’s houses of parliament.
The National Assembly and the upper house, the National Council of Provinces, are located on the site, while the government is based in Pretoria.
In 1990, South Africa’s last apartheid president, FW de Klerk, announced plans to dismantle the brutal white-minority regime in parliament.
The Cape Town houses of parliament are divided into three sections, with the most recent additions dating from the 1920s and 1980s.
In March, a fire broke out in the older wings of parliament, but it was quickly put out.
In April, a fire on the city’s famous Table Mountain spread, destroying part of The University of Cape Town’s library, which houses a unique collection of African archives.