Pretoria - Fire fighters were battling to bring under control a fire at the Pretoria Magistrate's Court. The blaze destroyed parts of the building on Wednesday afternoon.
About 40 fire fighters were on the scene with five teams inside the building, said Johan Pieterse, the spokesperson for Tshwane Emergency Services.
The fire started in two offices on the top floor of the old building just before 2pm. It was unclear what how it started.
"It spread rapidly inside the roof area. The whole of the top floor has been affected. We could not save that. The focus is now on trying to save the lower level and the new building which is linked to the old one," Pieterse said.
The heat inside the building was so intense that fire fighters could only stay inside for about 15 minutes before another team took over.
Pieterse said no one was injured as the building was evacuated in time. An investigation into the cause of the fire will begin once the fire has been extinguished.
