Two dead in major fire in Anderlecht, search for victims continues
.jpg)
Two people have died in a major fire that raged on Saturday in a warehouse in Anderlecht, and the search for possible other victims is still ongoing. This has been confirmed by the Brussels Public Prosecutor’s Office.
“We are sad to report two fatalities in this fire, and searches are currently underway for possible other victims,” the public prosecutor’s office stated on Monday. “The identification of victims and the search for bodies are complex and difficult.”
The Brussels fire brigade was called out at around 7 am on Saturday morning to a large plume of smoke in the vicinity of Maurice Herbettelaan in Anderlecht. When the fire brigade arrived on the scene, it turned out to be caused by a raging fire in a warehouse, located in a courtyard with several tenants. The storage areas contained, among other things, building materials and electric scooters, which created a significant fire load.
Due to the scale of the fire, the Brussels fire brigade’s internal emergency plan was immediately activated, and the municipal phase of the disaster plan was also put into effect during the course of the morning. The fire brigade was unable to carry out an interior attack because the risk of collapse was too great, and therefore mainly extinguished the fire from the roofs of surrounding buildings using aerial work platforms.
Shortly after 09.00 on Saturday, the fire was under control and further spread was ruled out. However, the final extinguishing works and securing the site still took a considerable amount of time. It was not until around 13.30 that most of the fire crews were able to leave the area.
Due to the fire, around 70 residents were evacuated and looked after for several hours in a reception centre set up by the Red Cross.
Illustration © PHOTO HANSLUCASCOLLECTION / MARTIN BERTRAND
Related news
