Fire engulfed the Marshall Islands parliament building – called the Nitijela – in the early hours of Tuesday morning, leaving the small Pacific Island country's symbol of independence and democracy destroyed.
Eyewitnesses observed firefighting volunteers attempting to save the building in the Marshall Islands' capital, Majuro, just after midnight.
The Legislative Assembly is said to have abruptly caught fire, with firefighters taking several hours to control the blaze.
The Marshall Islands Fire Department confirmed on Tuesday about half of the building was completely destroyed.
A Marshall Islands government spokesperson also said early signs indicate the fire appeared to have originated from a container trailer which was adjacent to the building.
"At the time of this report, responders actively prevented further damage on the capital's grounds," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added the Marshall Islands Police Department's sole fire truck was unable to respond over "a critical equipment part being unavailable for maintenance", leaving much of the firefighting to volunteers.
Those at the scene lacked equipment and expertise to extinguish the fire.
Parts of the concrete structure were left standing after the last of the flames were quelled, despite the charred remains continuing to smoulder throughout the day.
Parliament's chambers, the building's offices, its library, and political records and archives are all said to be destroyed.
Most of the parliamentary records were digitalised, however its data was limited to the systems inside the building due to the Island's limited resources.
There were no reports of any persons harmed during the fire.
Alternative plans were discussed on Tuesday regarding a new location for the country's parliament, which had been finalising its next budget.
The Marshall Islands Fire Department said it is expected to take several weeks to determine what has been lost and what is salvageable.
Marshall Islands president, Hilda Heine, is yet to address the media.
Documentary filmmaker and photographer Chewy Lin witnessed the fire after he was notified, capturing spectacular video and images of the scene for posterity.
The Micronesian archipelago situated midway between Australia and Hawaii, which has five main islands, more than 1000 outlying islands and 29 coral atolls has a population approximately 42,000 people.
