three people died in a building fire, “they tried to escape through the stairwell”

A terrible tragedy occurred this Friday morning in Anderlecht, in rue Fiennes. Emergency medical services and firefighters were dispatched in large numbers around 1:10 a.m. to a fire in a three-story building.

According to information provided by firefighters, the fire started in the stairwell of the building. Two residents, one on the third floor and the other on the roof, were evacuated in time using ladders. “A passerby alerted the residents of the building and helped them evacuate,” explains fire department spokesperson Walter Derieuw to our colleagues. “He was burned on his hands and taken to hospital,” he adds.

Unfortunately, three bodies were found dead in the building. “The victims had probably tried to escape through the stairwell, but it was completely covered in smoke and had become engulfed in flames,” said the spokesperson.

An expert was sent to the scene to try to determine the cause of the fire. The incident also caused a gas leak in the building.