A major fire broke out on Friday at a warehouse on Rue Nestor Martin, on the border of Ganshoren and Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, but was brought under control early Saturday morning around 4:00.
Firefighters in Brussels were assisted by crews from other stations across the country and the Red Cross to contain the blaze, highlighting a severe shortage of personnel in the Brussels Fire Brigade (SIAMU), according to the Christian Flemish union ACV.
Without external support, local firefighters may not have been able to put out the fire. “The flames could have continued burning for hours or even days,” said Steven Gillesen from ACV Public Services. He added that firefighters in Brussels are understaffed due to a sharp increase in workload over the past two decades. Gillesen criticised staffing plans drafted since 2012, saying they are based on budgetary guidelines rather than actual on-the-ground needs.
Figures show the number of ambulance call-outs has risen 68% over the last 15 years, while fire services interventions have increased by 30%. Firefighters now face additional responsibilities, such as post-fire decontamination, further straining their working capacity.
The personnel shortage is increasingly being felt during emergencies. “We were fortunate that neither a retirement home nor a hotel caught fire during the Ganshoren incident,” Gillesen warned.
The recent fire marked the second time within a matter of weeks that firefighters had to rely on the Red Cross for ambulance support, following a similar situation during Storm Benjamin at the end of October.
Gillesen reported that even the firefighting teams on standby are stretched thin. “We used to have 56 firefighters on watch for far fewer emergencies. Now we’re down to 48, and yesterday there were only 41. The situation could spiral out of control at any moment,” he cautioned.
The union representative urged Brussels politicians to address this growing crisis as budget negotiations are underway. “While concessions may have to be made across institutions, it seems firefighters are being spared, meaning no new resources will be allocated to address the workload and staffing issues,” Gillesen said, stressing that further actions would become unavoidable if solutions are not found.
