Parliament Fire Reignites, Emergency Services on Scene: 'We Thought It Was Put Out'

• The fire that engulfed the National Assembly Building of Parliament flared up again on Monday afternoon
• Fire and emergency rescue personnel fought to control the blaze amid windy conditions in Cape Town
• Intensive fire forensic investigations are underway in attempts to determine the possible cause of the blaze

CAPE TOWN - Western Cape Emergency Services on Monday again scrambled to contain the fire that ravaged the National Assembly of Parliament in Cape Town just a day earlier as a thick fog of smoke billowed from the building.

Briefly News earlier reported that a 49-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of arson and expected to appear in court on Tuesday, 4 January, with Parliament spokesperson Moloto Mothapo confirming the re-emergence of the fire.

"It had re-emerged and engulfed the entire roof of the National Assembly. It's inexplicable, as we thought it was put out completely," Mothapo said.

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National Assembly Speaker and former Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula warned that all available resources will be deployed to find others who may be responsible for setting the Parliamentary building alight. SABC News reported that an intensive investigation is now underway.

Forensic investigations underway

"Fire forensic investigations are underway in conjunction with the South African Police Service (SAPS) to determine the cause of the fire. The fire chief gave us a briefing during an informative session. As things are, we're waiting to see what has been destroyed [in the fire]," said Mapisa-Ngqakula.

Member of the mayoral committee for safety and security in the City of Cape Town, JP Smith, said the wind steadily picked up and ignited the parts of the smouldering wood which is not accessible inside the cavernous part of the roof structure, TimesLIVE reported.

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"The strategy is to contain the current fire area above the fourth and fifth floor as the fire was not contained [at the time)]," Smith said.

Hawks take over Parliament fire investigation

Earlier, Briefly News reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa held a press conference outside the Houses of Parliament following a fire on Sunday.

The briefing was also attended by Ministers Mondli Gungubele along with the province's Premier, Alan Winde. The President referred to the incident as a "terrible and devastating event".

Ramaphosa highlighted the significance of the fire occurring the day after the funeral of the late Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu. The fire resulted in extensive damage to the Parliament building, especially to the roof and several offices.

Source: Briefly News