A major fire tore through Riobamba's historic City Hall in central Ecuador on Thursday, damaging its roof and upper-floor offices, including those of the mayor and deputy mayor.
Footage shows thick smoke billowing from the building as firefighters spray water from several directions.
The fire spread rapidly through the wooden upper floor, affecting municipal departments and the council chamber. Employees initially tried to tackle the flames with extinguishers before the emergency overwhelmed their efforts.
Staff from City Hall and the neighbouring Chimborazo Governor's Office were evacuated. The municipality said employees who had been inside were safe.
Dozens of firefighters from Riobamba and surrounding districts battled the blaze, supported by fire engines and water tankers. Police closed surrounding streets while electricity workers carried out precautionary operations.
Crews brought the flames under control and continued cooling the structure and tackling remaining hotspots to prevent the fire from reigniting.
The cause remains under investigation. Preliminary information from the municipality's risk management department indicated that roof maintenance and replacement work was taking place when the fire started.
The blaze struck nearly three months after a fire on August 15 damaged several buildings in Riobamba's historic centre, affecting around 2,000 square metres.
Follow us on:
WhatsApp cutt.ly/WhatsAppCFM
https://twitter.com/capitalfmkenya/
https://www.facebook.com/capitalfmkenya
https://www.instagram.com/capitalfmkenya
Subscribe to Capital FM News for More: https://goo.gl/um4AGk
98.4 Capital FM
93.0 Western Kenya
98.5 Nakuru and Nyeri
104.5 Malindi
102.7 Garissa
103.9 Meru
106.5 Kitui
104.9 Voi
#CapitalFmKenya
