A fire broke out early Sunday morning in a block of flats in Beloeil, resulting in three people being rescued from the first floor by firefighters, while one of the flats is now uninhabitable.
Emergency services in Wallonie Picarde were alerted to the incident at 1:55 at a property located at 45 Rue du Château in Beloeil. Firefighters from the Leuze-en-Hainaut and Blaton (Bernissart) stations attended the scene with two fire engines, a ladder truck, a water truck, several ambulances, and a command vehicle.
Lieutenant John Michel, who led the operation, explained that the fire originated in a ground-floor flat of a two-storey building, starting from a sofa, with the cause identified as faulty electric decorations.
The ground-floor tenant showed remarkable presence of mind and bravery by alerting her neighbours despite the heavy smoke. Three occupants found themselves trapped by smoke on the first floor and were rescued through a window by emergency personnel. Fortunately, they were unharmed and no injuries from smoke inhalation were reported. An expectant tenant was taken to Épicura hospital in Ath for a precautionary check-up.
The ground-floor flat has sustained severe smoke and fire damage, rendering it uninhabitable. The tenant, a woman in her thirties, will be temporarily housed with family. Firefighters remained at the scene until 4:15.
