An electric battery caught fire on Tuesday afternoon in the laboratory of a company in Laeken, the Brussels Fire Brigade announced in a statement. Firefighters managed to extinguish the flames without injuries, but damage to the building is said to be substantial.
According to Fire Brigade Spokesperson Walter Derieux, the battery ignited around 13:45 in a second-floor laboratory of the company.
“The people present intervened at first with a powder fire extinguisher before evacuating the building,” Dierieuw said, noting that the workers correctly closed the door to the library to contain the smoke and stop the spread of the fire. He also noted that the building’s smoke detectors were working correctly.
Arriving on the scene shortly after, fire crew were able to put out the fire. The battery, measuring 20 by 50 centimetres, was immersed in a container of water. It will remain there for several days until completely cool.
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“After good ventilation, everyone was allowed to return to the building. However, there was a lot of damage to the laboratory due to the release of smoke,” the fire department concluded.
