Pretoria – The fire that engulfed the Gauteng Premier’s office has been contained and all officials are safe.

Premier David Makhura told the media on Friday that the fire started on the seventh floor of the building at about 08h40 this morning.

The fire started at 08H40 in an office on the seventh floor as a result of an electric plug. There were already people [in the office]. The fire was contained there, Premier Makhura said.

The Premier said all 280 staff that work in the building have been evacuated and are safe.

The burnt files, Premier Makhura said, are also backed up offsite.

The seventh floor is our finance department. But we have been reassured that everything in that section is backed up to ensure that whatever happens, no information is lost, the Premier said.

Provincial emergency services and a unified disaster command committee are still on the scene.

The province will later assess the damage and investigate the exact cause of the fire.

Source: South Africa Government News Agency