Officials announced on Tuesday that a new fire at the complex housing South Africa’s parliament in Cape Town had been put out, as a suspect arrested in connection with the incident was scheduled to appear in court.
The top of the New Wing, which houses the assembly’s lower chamber, collapsed due to a fire on Sunday. The roof of the Old Wing, which dates from 1884 and houses the National Council of Provinces, partially collapsed as well.
On Monday, a second fire erupted.
“The fire was brought under control at midnight,” Cape Town city officials said in a statement. “Teams are currently going room by room through the maze-like structure, attempting to find and extinguish (hot spots).”
“This is a lengthy operation,” they explained, “since some rooms’ inner wooden sheathing may need to be ripped apart in order to discover any hidden hot spots.”
Only six of the ten fire vehicles were still on the site, according to Parliament, and it was hoped that more trucks would be withdrawn over the morning.
“Additional damage has been done,” the statement read, adding that “more levels of the building, which hold offices of Members of Parliament and support staff, have been entirely gutted.”
On Tuesday, a 49-year-old man was scheduled to appear in court on charges of arson and other offences, including stealing.
The suspect is thought to have entered the parliament through an office window, according to the elite Hawks police force.
The fire spread through the structures, but officials say crucial elements such as a museum with artworks and heritage artefacts, as well as an embroidered tapestry recounting the past of the Eastern Cape on the ground floor of the Old Assembly Building, were salvaged.
