A fire broke out in a block of flats in the Brussels municipality of Anderlecht during the night of Tuesday to Wednesday.
Five people were overcome by smoke and had to be taken to the hospital, according to the Brussels Fire Brigade.
The fire brigade, emergency medical services and the local police from the Midi zone were called out at around 2:55 am to the fire on Rue des Goujons in Anderlecht.
On arrival, it appeared that the fire was raging on the second floor of a three-storey building.
"On arrival, two people were evacuated from the roof using the aerial ladder," said fire service spokesperson Walter Derieuw.
"Two other residents were brought to safety via the stairwell using a Rescue Safety Mask (RSM). Three residents were able to leave the building unaided. Five residents were taken to hospital with smoke inhalation."
The fire raged fiercely in a room with a high fire load but was quickly brought under control. Sibelga cut off the utilities. The building was declared uninhabitable. The residents are being looked after by the police and municipal services.
"The residents were woken in time by the alarm from a smoke detector in the communal areas," the spokesperson continued. "In addition, a cat was rescued alive from the fire. Three other pets, two cats and a dog, sadly did not survive the incident. The cause of the fire is still under investigation."
"This incident demonstrates once again how crucial smoke alarms are," says Derieuw. "A simple and inexpensive device has likely saved lives here by warning the residents in good time."
