Three people died during the night from Thursday to Friday in a fire in a residential building in Anderlechtindicated the Brussels firefighters. Two other residents were rescued. The Brussels public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation.
The fire broke out around 1:00 a.m. Friday in this three-story building located on rue de Fiennes. When firefighters, paramedics and local police arrived, the stairwell was in flames. “Two residents, one on the third floor and the other on the roof, were able to be evacuated using our ladders. A passerby also alerted residents and helped them leave the building, which caused injuries to his hands. He was taken to hospital”continued the spokesperson for the capital’s firefighters, Walter Derieuw.
Search operations then led to the discovery of three bodies. “Two victims were found on the first floor landing and a third near the entrance to a third floor apartment. They obviously tried to escape the blaze via the stairwell, which was completely smoked and in flames.” Without presuming the circumstances, the firefighters ask to avoid, “if possible, evacuate a home via a stairwell filled with smoke. Stay at home, close the door (to prevent smoke from entering the home) and report your presence to the emergency services through the window, possibly with the light on your smartphone, or by calling the emergency number 112″.
The stairwell partially collapsed during the extinguishing work. A gas leak occurred as a result of the fire. The Brussels manager of the electricity and natural gas distribution network, Sibelga, went to the site to cut off the gas supply. To do this, he had to open the sidewalk in front of the building. The electricity was also cut off.
The apartments themselves were not particularly damaged by the flames, but rather by smoke and soot. The origin of the incident remains to be determined. The public prosecutor’s office, which opened an investigation, commissioned an expert and a forensic doctor, who went to the site. “In the interest of the investigation, the prosecution will not make any further comments”indicated the judicial body.
Belgian
- A report from Charlotte Verbruggen and Béatrice Broutout
Belgium
