Ramallah (West Bank): A fire broke out in the Palestinian Parliament on Monday and workers evacuated the four-storey building, witnesses said.
"It seems there was a huge electrical spark that ignited the fire. Nobody was hurt, although some employees had difficulty breathing," said a parliamentary official, Abdel-Qaher Srour.
Black smoke briefly poured out of the top floor of the building in the West Bank city of Ramallah as workers left the complex.
Fire crews arrived on the scene, and within minutes the smoke had stopped. Several windows of the building were broken.
"There was fire in the electrical box on the first floor. The fire raced up the power lines to the fourth floor. The electricity went out and we evacuated the building," Parliamentary Speaker Aziz Dweik said.
"We demand an investigation because if this was not an accident, it is a very dangerous incident."
The Islamic militant group Hamas, winner of the January Palestinian parliamentary election, has a majority in the legislature.
Parliament was not in session when the fire began, although several committees were meeting.
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