A restaurant located in the Brussels municipality of Saint-Gilles completely burnt down early on Tuesday morning. The Brussels public prosecutor's office reported it may have been intentionally started.
The Brussels Fire Brigade responded to a call at 05:10 on Tuesday morning regarding a fire in a restaurant on Rue d'Argonne in Saint-Gilles, next to Brussels-Midi train station. Spokesperson Walter Derieuw confirmed that, upon the firefighters' arrival, the fire was fully developed on the ground floor of the building. A nearby vehicle was also engulfed in flames.
"The residents of the flats above the restaurant were unharmed when we arrived," he said. However, the restaurant was destroyed. A security perimeter was set up by officers of the Brussels South police zone (Anderlecht/Saint-Gilles/Forest), who also helped evacuate the residents.
After ventilating the building and carrying out carbon monoxide checks, the occupants of the flats above were able to return to their accommodation. Sibelga closed off the gas mains of the restaurant.
Derieuw stated in the morning that the origin of the fire is still to be determined. By the afternoon, the public prosecutor noted foul play is being investigated, and it is possible someone committed arson. "Investigations are underway, in particular concerning the analysis of CCTV images," it told Belga News Agency.
