Three people have been lightly injured in a gas explosion at a residence in the Brussels district of Neder-Over-Heembeek on Monday morning. Nearly 700 people were evacuated, including two schools, reports the Brussels Fire Brigade.
An explosion occurred in a terraced house in the Rue François Vekemans in Neder-over-Heembeek, in the north of the Capital Region, shortly after 08:00. That explosion was followed by a fire, the Brussels Fire Brigade reported.
The explosion is likely due to a gas leak, Walter Derieuw of the Brussels fire service told reporters. Reportedly, this happened after works carried out by network operator Sibelga, VRT reports.
While the police initially spoke of one seriously injured person, Derieuw now confirmed that it concerned three people who were lightly injured, including the person living in the house. She suffered minor injuries and was taken to hospital. Two others also suffered minor injuries and were attended to at the scene.
The explosion also severely damaged the facade of the house.
The fire brigade evacuated a total of 672 residents in the area, including two schools, and has set up a safety perimeter.
Update: This article was updated to include that three people were slightly injured after new information from the Brussels fire service.
