Plumes of smoke rose in the air after a massive fire broke out at the Parliament House in Cape Town, South Africa.
Large flames of fire spread through the building and around 3 a.m. a huge column of smoke was seen rising in the sky.
City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue Service spokesman Jermaine Carrelse told local media that the fire started early in the third-floor offices before spreading to the National Assembly Chamber.
There have been no casualties and firefighters are present at the spot.
Police have not yet confirmed the cause of the fire.
Firefighters spray water after a massive fire broke out at South Africa’s Parliament building in Cape Town this morning
Black smoke and flames were seen in the sky after the fire broke out in the offices of the third floor, which engulfed the building.
Firefighters use a crane to get to the roof of the National Assembly building in the South African parliamentary complex
Flames spread through the building as emergency teams sprinkled water on the fire and tried to douse the fire today
Emergency workers at the scene after a fire broke out at the South African Parliament building in Cape Town
A spokesman for the city’s emergency services said: ‘The roof has caught fire and the National Assembly building is also on fire.
‘The fire is not under control and cracks have been reported in the walls of the building.’
And former Cape Town mayor and current minister Patricia de Lille told reporters at the scene that ‘the actual national assembly is still safe’.
“The fire service has brought the situation under control,” he said.
Today, images show a cluster of flames visible as the roof of the building.
A giant crane was also used by firefighters to sprinkle water on the burning building as they extinguished the massive fire.
A cordon that extended to St George’s Cathedral, where Archbishop Desmond Tutu was cremated on Saturday, is now in place in the area.
The Houses of Parliament in Cape Town consists of three volumes, including the original and oldest building which was completed in 1884.
New additions – built in the 1920s and 1980s – are in the National Assembly.
Today the streets are deserted as the Houses of Parliament in Cape Town are on fire
Firefighters sprinkle water on a fire that broke out from a building in the Parliament of South Africa in Cape Town
Plumes of smoke rose in the air after a fire broke out at the Parliament building in Cape Town, South Africa this morning
Fire and emergency vehicles at the scene of the fire erupted early in the morning in third-floor offices before spreading to the National Assembly Chamber
A firefighter walks as a crew member tries to stop a fire that started early today
Smoke rising from the roof of the building trying to douse the fire that broke out this morning
A column of black smoke rises into the air as the Houses of Parliament are on fire in South Africa
In April last year, a fire broke out in a section of the library of the University of Cape Town, which houses a unique collection of African archives.
The scene comes just a day after Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who died last weekend at the age of 90, was cremated after a poignant ceremony at St George’s Cathedral in Cape Town.
A state funeral for the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, a hero of the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, was held at the cathedral, where he had campaigned for years against racial injustice.
Delivering the keynote address, President Cyril Ramaphosa lauded the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu as ‘our moral compass and national conscience’ as South Africa bid farewell to a hero of the struggle against apartheid at a state funeral.
Mr. Ramaphosa gave Tutu a special class funeral, usually designated for presidents and very important people.
He also handed over the multicolored flag of South Africa to Tutu’s widow, Leah – reminiscent of her husband’s description of the post-apartheid country as a ‘rainbow nation’.