Massive fire rips South African Parliament, police detain one

Around 70 firefighters were still battling the fire hours after it started in the early morning, Cape Town's Fire and Rescue Service spokesman Jermaine Carelse said. Some were lifted up on a crane to spray water on the blaze from above.

Cape Town: A major fire ripped through South Africa's 138-year-old Parliament complex on Sunday (January 2), gutting offices and causing some ceilings to collapse at a site that has hosted some of the country's pivotal moments. As firefighters struggled to tame the blaze, a dark plume of smoke and flames rose high into the air above the southern city of Cape Town.

Around 70 firefighters were still battling the fire hours after it started in the early morning, Cape Town's Fire and Rescue Service spokesman Jermaine Carelse said. Some were lifted up on a crane to spray water on the blaze from above. No injuries have been reported and Parliament itself had been closed for the holidays.

Visiting the scene, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said a person was being held and is being questioned by police in connection with the blaze. Police later confirmed a 51-year-old man had been detained.