Four workers were hospitalised for smoke poisoning due to a fire that broke out at about 5 PM on Thursday in the office of a workshop on Boulevard Industriel in Anderlecht, Brussels fire service spokesman Walter Derieuw said.
One of the four was more seriously affected than the others by the fire, which was caused by a short circuit.
Workers present on the premises took some time to notice that there was a fire. When they realised it, they tried to extinguish the fire, which was already well ablaze, and suffered smoke poisoning in the process.
Firefighters finally managed to put out the blaze.
Apart from the office space, the workshop itself was rendered unusable by the fire. However, the firefighters cleared and ventilated the premises for an hour before leaving the scene.
