Fire broke out at Parliament in Cape Town

A fire broke out at Parliament at the Old Assembly Building in Cape Town on Tuesday night, 16 March 2021. “City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue crews responded from Roeland Street Fire Station with a motor pump, rescue vehicle and aerial appliance with nine crew in total and from Sea Point, Brooklyn, Milnerton and Salt River fire stations with a motor pump and five crew each respectively, said Jermaine Carelse, spokesperson, City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue Service. “Operations included operations fire fighting and containment. The fire was in the roof void of the building,” added Carelse.

"A fire broke out at Parliament' Old Assembly building last night, affecting certain areas including several upper floor offices and committee rooms. These affected areas, including certain parts of the lower floor not affected by fire, have been left flooded due to the activation of the fire sprinkler system. At this stage, the cause of the fire is unknown and no one was injured,” read a statement from Parliament. "An investigation has been started [on Wednesday morning] to establish the cause of the fire and the extent of the damages caused to the parts of the Old Assembly building," the statement added.

Carelse said, “The call was received at 22h32 and the fire was extinguished at 00h43. It was contained to room 454 of the National Assembly. Challenges faced included gaining access to the building and water supply. The run-off water had to be pumped out of the basement and ground floor by means of portable pumps.”

Source: Jermaine Carelse, spokesperson, City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue Service and EWN.