Politicians frequently visited to room at the end of the day to relax and catch up on the news.
Conservative MP smelled smoke. He looked to see small flames in a self. He called for help but no one came.
C.R. Stewart, chief doorkeeper of the House of Commons interrupted proceedings in the House of Commons at 9 p.m. to announce: “There is a big fire in the reading room; everyone get out quickly.”
Firefighters continue spraying water on Parliaments destroyed Centre Block but it was no use.
A commission was set up to determine the exact cause of the fire. The commission said it had a “strong suspicion” the fire was an act of German sabotage, but they left the matter open for further investigation since there was no conclusive evidence.