The news here is marked this Friday by this extremely violent fire last night in Anderlecht, in the Brussels region. The fire destroyed an apartment building. The human toll is very heavy. Three people lost their lives. Others owe their lives to the intervention of several local residents, including that of Younès, a young undocumented migrant.
At 20 years old, Younès does not hesitate for a moment to climb and rescue people trapped. “I was here with my friends smoking and we heard a big bang. Then the fire, a fire that was growing a lot. We climbed above the green tarpaulin using a ladder to reach the small windows and get the people out. Then we saw other people even higher up who had to get out because of the smoke which was very strong. So we put the ladder on the other side. Then I climbed up to save a man without entering the apartment.“
I see someone to help me get out
Despite third-degree burns to his hands, Younès performed an act of bravery and was able to save 12 people. Among them, Mohamed, deeply grateful. “Last night I was sleeping. I think it was one in the morning. And my friend called me to tell me fire, fire, fire. My apartment is filled with smoke. I’m not very well. I go to the window and see someone helping me out.“
Three people died
Very quickly, the Brussels firefighters intervened and discovered a huge release of smoke and a stairwell completely on fire. The fire broke out on the ground floor before spreading throughout the building. The apartments were not seriously affected by the flames, but by smoke and soot. During search operations, firefighters discovered three bodies. “During this inspection, two victims were found on the first floor landing and one victim in the entrance to his third floor apartment. There were two people, a person on the third floor at the window and a person on the roof who we evacuated with our ladder trucks.“, declares Walter Derieuw, spokesperson for the Brussels firefighters.
The origin of the fire remains to be determined. A forensic doctor and a fire expert were requested by the prosecution, which opened an investigation.
Fire Anderlecht undocumented courage
Belgium
