On Monday evening, the Brussels fire brigade responded to a cellar fire on street Amédée Lynen in Saint-Josse-ten-Noode. Seven residents were intoxicated after inhaling smoke. They were taken to hospital and the affected building is temporarily uninhabitable.
The fire broke out at around 23:15 in the basement of a five-storey building. When the fire brigade arrived, the stairwell was already clogged with thick smoke.
"Two people were rescued from a balcony using the ladder", said Brussels fire brigade spokesman Walter Derieuw, "Residents who had not yet evacuated were advised to stay indoors with their doors closed and windows open. The fire was extinguished relatively quickly but the electrical installation was damaged in the fire. Sibelga has sealed the meters, so the building is uninhabitable."
The residents were taken in by the Brussels-North police zone and the municipal services of Saint-Josse-ten-Noode. The origin of the fire has not yet been determined.
"Seven residents were eventually transferred to hospital with mild intoxication after smoke inhalation," the fire brigade spokesman said.
"If we can give a little prevention advice: it is important to remember, when the stairwell or escape route is smoky, you should stay inside your home and then signal your presence to the emergency services through the windows."
