South Africa’s Parliament Gutted

Fire crews have continued to work at South Africa’s national Parliament complex in Cape Town on Monday after a major fire blazed through the buildings a day earlier, causing extensive damage. The fire crews had been scaled back from around 70 firefighters Sunday to 20 by Monday morning. Other buildings in the complex were also damaged by the fire that started early Sunday morning and spread from an old Parliament building that now houses offices to the National Assembly building. With grand columns and stately white and red brick buildings, the Parliament complex has been at the center of South Africa’s history for more than 130 years. Some of the buildings have weathered British colonialism, the apartheid regime and South Africa’s transition to democracy under the presidency of Nelson Mandela. A man arrested Sunday is being questioned in connection with the fire, police said. He is to appear in court on Tuesday and is expected to face charges. The man had to be rescued from the fire on Sunday, according to the local media reports. Parliament was closed for the holidays and no injuries were reported.

SOURCE: AFRICA NEWS