Arthur Greene
The roof of the Parliament building in Cape Town has caught fire again after appearing to have been brought under control following yesterday’s blaze.
Police have shut off nearby roads and firefighters are once again battling to extinguish the flames.
The City’s Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson, Jermaine Carelse, suggested that the fire on Sunday flared up again on Monday afternoon, ruling out the possibility that this is a new fire.
“The Fire and Rescue Service confirms that the fire at Parliament has flared up,” he said in a statement.
“The void beneath the roof sheeting of the National Assembly is on fire. Currently there are six fire fighting appliances on scene, as well as the hydraulic platform. There are about 34 firefighters who are busy with active firefighting.”
The City of Cape Town’s Fire and Rescue Services have said that the windy conditions have prevented firefighters from being able to safely reach the upper floors of the building.
Parliament said in a statement that the flaring up has likely been caused by the high temperatures of the burnt buildings’ upper floors.
“The resurgence of the fire follows earlier information from firefighters regarding the risky high temperature levels at the gutted buildings,” read the statement.
Early indications were that important historical items kept in the building had survived Sunday’s blaze, reported News24, but it remains unclear whether they are still at risk.
Image source: @SABCNews
