Three firefighters suffered heatstroke on Tuesday morning while responding to a massive roof fire in Koekelberg. Two were treated on site and a third was taken to hospital, said Walter Derieuw, spokesperson for the Brussels Fire Department.
The fire broke out at the rear of a building on Rue François Hellinckx, in a warehouse used by a hospitality supply company, containing paper napkins and tablecloths.
“This represents a significant heat load, making cooling and clearing operations particularly lengthy,” said Derieuw.
A thick column of smoke was released, prompting firefighters to ask local residents to keep their doors and windows closed. Several teams were mobilised to bring the fire under control. As a precautionary measure, metro and train traffic in the area was suspended.
According to SNCB, rail traffic was suspended between Brussels-West and Simonis stations. STIB reports that metro lines 2 and 6 were interrupted between 10:00 and 12:00 today.
Firefighters are continuing operations to cool and secure the site to prevent the fire from reigniting. Residents who had to be evacuated were accommodated at the CPAS (Social Welfare Centre) and a sports hall, in coordination with the municipality of Koekelberg and the police. The municipal emergency planner was on site.
