More than 300 people evacuated the Romanian Parliament building, also known as the “Ceausescu Palace,” on Tuesday afternoon after a man set fire to a room near the building’s entrance, according to local television station Digi24.
The incident took place in the visitors’ area, which includes an exhibition hall and souvenir shops.
“A man, aged 60-65, poured a flammable liquid and set the area on fire, with the flames covering 30 square meters. More than 300 people were evacuated from the building. There were no casualties, although one of the saleswomen had a panic attack,” reported the TV station.
Firefighters quickly arrived at the scene, located the fire, and extinguished it. Romanian media reported that the perpetrator managed to escape, with the police releasing photos of him and seeking help from the public to apprehend him.
The Romanian Parliament building is located in the center of Bucharest and is considered one of the heaviest buildings in the world, weighing over 4 million tons. In terms of size, it is the third-largest administrative building in the world, following the Pentagon in the United States and the Sappaya-Sapasathan building in Thailand. The palace covers an area of 365,000 square meters and houses the Romanian Senate, the Chamber of Deputies, various museums, and a conference center.