Art Treasures Safe as South African Parliament Fire Flares
- Legislature’s pictures, sculptures valued at about $5 million
- One suspect arrested and due to appear in court on Jan. 4
Firefighters are at work to extinguish a fire burning in the National Assembly, the main chamber of the South African Parliament buildings in Cape Town, on Jan. 3, 2022.
Photographer: Rodger Bosch/AFP via Getty Images
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Thousands of rare South African artworks survived a devastating fire that broke out in the nation’s parliamentary precinct in Cape Town, causing extensive damage to the legislative buildings.
Firefighters took more than nine hours to extinguish the blaze that started early Sunday. It flared up in again in the vicinity of the National Assembly -- which isn’t near the art stores or library -- on Monday afternoon.