The sprinkler system was two years overdue for service and it’s unclear if the fire alarm at the legislature was active, the report by Cape Town’s chief fire officer notes

Speaker expresses ‘shock’ and ‘sadness’ as fire ravages the historic building, causing the ceiling of the National Assembly to cave in. At lunchtime on Sunday, firefighters were…

The first alarm went off shortly after 6am and five hours later firemen were still battling to bring the blaze under control after it spread to the National Assembly