Parliament House in Canberra is evacuated as smoke suddenly fills the corridors
- Senate wing of the building evacuated
- About 100 staffers waited outside
- There was no sign of any damage
The entire Senate Wing of Parliament House in Canberra has been evacuated due to smoke in the corridors.
Reporters at the Federal Press Gallery reported smoke billowing through four floors of the main building around 9 a.m. Monday.
Sirens wailed and emergency services were called to the scene as the large crowd of about 100 evacuees gathered outside the building.
There was no visible damage to the building.
The entire Senate Wing of Parliament House in Canberra has been evacuated due to smoke in the corridors
“The Senate wing of the House of Representatives has been evacuated with reports over the loudspeaker of smoke in part of the building,” Guardians political reporter Josh Butler wrote on Twitter.
After a fire truck responded to the first alarms, a second arrived at about 10:00 a.m. with staff still waiting outside Parliament for the situation to be resolved.
When the temperature outside reached 10 degrees, some reporters from the press gallery had to brave the cold.
“Still outside – another fire truck showed up recently, the sirens are still blaring inside the building – it’s 10 degrees and I didn’t bring a jacket,” Mr Butler added.
“It doesn’t thrive here.”
According to Senior Producer and Political Reporter at SkyNews Australia Cam Reddin, the situation was said to be resolved after 59 minutes.
Mr. Reddin celebrated the end of the ordeal with a mock line of merchandise.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Fire and Rescue ACT for an update on the situation.