A large fire has ripped through the Houses of Parliament in Cape Town, South Africa.

Firefighters were called to the scene just after 5am local time as video footage shows a plume of black smoke filling the sky amid fears parts of the building could collapse.

Huge flames have torn through the roof and thick black smoke can be seen from miles away as locals share footage from Table Mountain on the outskirts of the city.

The cause of the fire has not yet been confirmed and it is unclear if anybody is inside the building.

City of Cape Town’s Fire and Rescue Service spokesman Jermaine Carelse said: “The bitumen on the roof is even melting, an indication of the intense heat.

“There have been reports of some walls showing cracks, which could indicate a collapse.”

The blaze comes hours after Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s state funeral at St George’s Cathedral, near Parliament.

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa lauded the late Archbishop as “our moral compass and national conscience”.

Source:- Mirror