On Tuesday, the fire that destroyed parts of the South African parliament building in Cape Town last weekend was brought under control. That’s what the fire department says.
The fire broke out on Sunday and was brought under control, but gusts of wind fanned the flames again on Monday afternoon, leading to a re-flare. However, the flare-up could be extinguished around midnight.
“Early Tuesday morning, there was another minor flare-up, but the fire service was able to extinguish it,” said firefighters spokesman Jermaine Carelse. On Tuesday morning, about twenty firefighters were still on site “to follow the evolution of the situation”, according to Carelse.
A 49-year-old man who was arrested in the building is due to appear in court later on Tuesday. He is charged with burglary, arson and theft. According to investigators, there were two fires, and the sprinkler system was not working because the water supply was cut off.
The cost of reconstruction is estimated at hundreds of millions of euros. The part where the parliament sits was completely burned down in the fire. No injuries were reported as parliament was on Christmas break.
