By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
A large fire has ripped through the Houses of Parliament in Cape Town.
Firefighters were called to the scene just after 5am local time as video footage shows a plume of black smoke filling the sky amid fears parts of the building could collapse.
Huge flames have torn through the roof and thick black smoke can be seen from miles away as locals share footage from Table Moutain on the outskirts of the city.
The cause of the fire has not been confirmed and it is unclear if anyone is inside the buillding
City of Cape Town’s Fire and Rescue Service spokesman Jermaine Carelse said ” The bitumen on the roof is even melting, an indication of the intense heat.
Several roads have been closed around Parliament’s precinct as firefighters try to contain the fire the broke out on Sunday morning.
JP Smith, the mayoral committee member for safety and security, said that the following roads were closed:
– Plein Street at Roeland,
– Commercial and Roeland closed at Hope Street,
– St. John’s Street closed at Vrede Street,
– and Commercial closed at Buitenkant Street.
Minister of Public Works Patricia de Lille while speaking to media outside of Parliament. She says it wasn’t the National Assembly that caught light, as indicated by JP Smith, but the Old Assembly.
She said that the fire is now mostly under control. “Fire Service have the situation under control. It’s not the National Assembly that’s on fire.What’s coming up there is an extractor pulling all the smoke out of the National Assembly.”
De Lille said that they are busy looking at CCTV footage to gather information on what may have caused the fire at Parliament.
The Houses of Parliament consist of three sections, including the original and oldest building that was completed in 1884. The newer additions — constructed in the 1920s and 1980s — house the National Assembly.
In April last year, a fire ravaged part of The University of Cape Town’s library housing a unique collection of African archives.