A man has been critically injured in a fire at an apartment building on Bredabaan in the Antwerp district of Merksem, according to local police.
Twelve other residents were taken to various hospitals with minor smoke inhalation.
The fire started on the ground floor of the four-storey building, likely due to an accidental cause. “The smoke then spread throughout the building,” said Ninke Neyrinck of Fire Brigade Zone Antwerp. “We had to rescue one person with a ladder.”
The Medical Intervention Plan (MIP) was activated to ensure efficient medical assistance. All residents were evacuated, and those who inhaled too much smoke were taken to hospitals for checks. Due to the large number of victims, they were distributed between the UZA, AZ Klina, and Jan Palfijn hospitals.
The extent of the damage to the building is still being assessed, but the ground floor has already been declared uninhabitable.
