Gauteng premier's office on fire

A fire broke out at the offices of Gauteng Premier David Makhura on Friday after an electrical fault sparked a blaze on one of the floors of the building.

Roads leading to the office in the Johannesburg CBD were closed off following the fire in Simmonds Street.

Smoke could be seen at the top of the building as paramedics‚ fire services and police attended the scene.

More firefighters were still arriving at the building around 10am.

"A section of the Office of the Premier building at 30 Simmonds Street in Johannesburg is on fire. The Johannesburg Fire Department is on site dealing with the matter‚" the premier's office said in a statement.

"All officials have been evacuated and are safe. The City of Johannesburg Fire Department will investigate the cause of the fire and the damage thereof. Once the fire department has established the cause of the fire‚ it will be communicated to the public."

Makhura later told journalists what he had learned about how the fire had originated.

"The fire at 0840 this morning on the seventh floor‚ was in an office where there were already people obviously‚ was a result of an electrical plug‚" Makhura said.

"There was someone who knew exactly what the cause of the fire was."