Two people were injured by an exploding gas cooker in the Anneessens neighbourhood in central Brussels on Monday night. The studio where the explosion occurred suffered irreparable damage.
On Monday at around 22:45, an explosion was heard coming from a home located on the ground floor of a three-storey building on Rue d'Artois – a street found between the city centre and Brussels-Midi station.
Upon arrival, the fire brigade immediately asked the police to set up a security perimeter to prevent residents from gathering.
Two people were injured in the process, the Brussels Fire Brigade told Belga News Agency. They were taken to hospital but are not in mortal danger. One person did suffer minor burns.
Besides the two studio residents, firefighters also rescued three cats from the building.
Credit: Brussels Fire Brigade
The explosion was so powerful that the windows and wooden framework on the front facade were blown away. The studio itself was completely destroyed and is no longer inhabitable.
All other residents of the building were able to return to their homes which did not not suffer severe damaged, and the stability of the building was not endangered.
"It is not yet clear how the gas cooker exploded," Brussels Fire Brigade spokesperson Walter Derieuw said. "An investigation will have to determine that."
