Marshall Islands Parliament Destroyed in Overnight Blaze

A devastating fire broke out overnight, engulfing the historic Nitijela, the national parliament building of the Marshall Islands, located in Majuro, the capital city. Firefighters were summoned around midnight but arrived to find the blaze fully developed. Despite their efforts, the inferno destroyed approximately half of the structure, including the parliamentary chamber, offices, library, and archives. Emergency crews eventually contained the fire, but officials confirmed that the remaining building is unusable.
The blaze occurred while the legislature was in session to finalize the national budget, forcing lawmakers to urgently explore alternative venues to continue their work. Reports indicate that the fire’s origin may have been a container trailer adjacent to the building. Fortunately, no injuries have been reported.
The parliament’s vast archival records, much of which had been digitized, have been lost, creating significant challenges in governance continuity. The scale of destruction left the public and officials alike in shock, with many calling it a symbolic loss of the nation’s democratic heritage.
International reaction has been swift. Taiwan’s foreign minister extended condolences and pledged timely assistance. The fire underscores vulnerabilities in the nation’s emergency response infrastructure, including limited firefighting resources and delayed response capacities.
Going forward, authorities must coordinate immediate legislative continuity, assess and recover lost records, investigate the fire’s cause, and plan for reconstruction.