A serious fire ravaged a three-story building around 1:00 a.m. this Friday in Anderlecht. Firefighters discovered three remains in the building.
A fatal fire broke out a little after 1:00 a.m. on the night of Thursday to Friday in Anderlecht, in the Brussels region. The fire started in a three-story building with a business on the ground floor located on rue de Fiennes.
Brussels firefighters, rescue workers and police from the Brussels-Midi zone intervened. When firefighters arrived on site, there was a lot of smoke. “The fire was raging in the stairwell. Two occupants, a person on the 3rd floor and a person on the roof, were evacuated with our self-ladders, our rescue instrument par excellence”indicates Walter Derieuw, spokesperson for the firefighters.
It was a passerby who alerted the residents of the building and helped them evacuate. “In doing so, he burned his hands. He was evacuated to the hospital”points out the spokesperson. During their intervention, firefighters found victims. “Unfortunately, three mortal remains were discovered. Two victims on the first floor landing and one victim at the entrance to an apartment on the 3rd floor. Probably the unfortunate people attempted to escape via the stairwell completely smoked and engulfed in flames”.
During the extinguishing work, part of the stairwell collapsed. The fire was brought under control around 1:40 a.m. The origin of the incident remains to be determined. An expert from the prosecution and a forensic doctor went to the scene.
Following the fire, a gas leak occurred in the building, according to firefighters. “Sibelga came to the site to cut off the gas supply by opening the sidewalk in front of the damaged building. The electricity was also cut off.”
The last firefighter vehicles left the scene around 6:00 a.m.
fire brussels
Belgium
