A fire broke out at waste processing company Bruco in Wijnegem, a place known for its massive shopping centre, late on Friday night. The fire produced heavy smoke, while firefighters were still damping down the site on Saturday morning.
The fire was reported to the emergency services at 03:15 overnight. Fire crews from Antwerp Fire Service and colleagues from Fire Zone Rand arrived quickly. They found a waste fire, which was immediately contained.
The blaze was brought under control at around 05:00, according to Eline De Jong of Antwerp Fire Service. Firefighters remained at the scene afterwards to carry out damping-down work.
The fire caused a large amount of smoke. Residents nearby were advised to keep windows and doors closed and switch off ventilation systems.
The municipality of Schoten also sent out a BE-Alert, as the smoke cloud was drifting in that direction.
