The Brussels Fire Brigade was called out on Monday night to a fire in an Anderlecht warehouse. There were fears squatters were present in the burning building, however, there were no injuries.
A fire was reported on the Quai Fernand Demets in the Brussels municipality of Anderlecht at around 02:00 on the night of Monday to Tuesday. A fire had broken out in a warehouse located next to the canal.
"We made great efforts to prevent the fire from spreading to neighbouring buildings," the spokesperson for the Brussels Fire Brigade, Walter Derieuw, said at around 03:30. "Pallets and pieces of cardboard had caught on fire."
Three command vehicles, four fire engines and three ladders were mobilised by the fire brigade to extinguish the fire. The MUG (mobile emergency response team) and an ambulance also arrived on the scene.
Credit: Brussels Fire Brigade
At around 04:00, the fire had been controlled, and ventilation was in process. Neighbours had been called on to keep doors and windows closed and to switch off their ventilation systems.
By 04:30, Derieuw confirmed there was no more smoke to be seen. Clearing the space is expected to take a long time due to the damage caused by the fire.
During the extinguishing operations, the nearby rail traffic was forced to travel at reduced speed due to the smoke emission. The intervention ended at around 05:15.
The origin of the fire is yet to be determined. "No injuries were reported," Derieuw said. "At the start of the operation, the presence of squatters was reported. Fortunately, this fear proved unfounded," he added.
