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A decommissioned art gallery owned by the Enoch Mgijima Municipality in Komani has burnt down.
Municipality spokesperson, Lonwabo Kowa, says community members alerted the municipality's call centre to the fire at about 10 pm on Monday.
He says while the building was currently unoccupied, the municipality was in negotiations with potential occupants from both the public and the private sector.
Kowa says no files or assets were kept inside the building since 2016.
He says when officials arrived at the scene there was nothing more that could be done.
Police spokesperson, Colonel Priscilla Naidu, says the cause of the fire is not yet known but it is suspected that vagrants living in the building may have started the fire.
She says no injuries were reported and that a case of arson is under investigation.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance lamented the incident.
DA MPL, Jane Cowley, says the municipality's neglect of infrastructure ultimately resulted in the once beautiful heritage building, known as the JC Marshall being burnt to the ground.
The Enoch Mgijima Municipality is currently under investigation by the Hawks after they unveiled the Lesseyton Sports Field at a cost of R15 million.
The hand-over by the Municipality last week caused a media frenzy with social media commentators and political leaders questioning the amount spent on the stadium.
Pictures posted on social media show two rudimentary metal stands and open fields.
