One woman was seriously injured after a fire broke out on Christmas Day above a cafe on Leuven's historic Old Market Square ('Oude Markt'), Belga News Agency has reported.
The fire is believed to have emanated from the 38-year-old woman's apartment, which is located on the floor immediately above the ground-floor De Prof cafe. She is currently being treated for her injures at Sacred Heart Hospital ('Heilig Hartziekenhuis').
Emergency services were summoned at around midnight on Sunday. Witnesses told Het Nieuwsblad that firefighters "came at breakneck speed" but had difficulty putting out the fire, leading to reinforcements being called from Aarschot and Zaventem.
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"The fire was difficult to put out because there was a lot of stuff in the way," firefighter Tom Branders said. "The entire first floor is completely destroyed; there is no furniture left. On the ground floor in the cafe everything is also destroyed due to the water we needed to use to extinguish the flames. The whole building is uninhabitable."
The cause of the fire remains unknown, a spokesperson for the Leuven police confirmed to Het Laatste Nieuws.
