A prisoner and a psychiatric inmate both started fires in their cells at the Saint-Gilles prison on Wednesday and Thursday, Sudinfo reported on Thursday.
The first man set the fire to his mattress, seriously injuring himself though not critically. The second set himself on fire. His state of health is unknown. “There is no link between the two incidents,” said the prison spokesman, who therefore confirmed the information.
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On Wednesday, on inmate started a fire in his cell at around 12:30. Prison staff quickly noticed the flames and rushed to extinguish the without the help of the fire brigade. The person still suffered serious burns to his hands and had to be taken to hospital.
Around 09:30 on Thursday, a person in the psychiatric annex started another fire. Once again, the staff was able to intervene quickly, but the person was seriously injured by the flames and taken to the emergency room. The Brussels public prosecutor’s office opened an investigation after the incident.
