A man barricaded himself inside his own apartment and set it on fire on Place Jean Jacobs, close to the Brussels courthouse Palais de Justice.
The information, revealed by La Dernière Heure, was confirmed by the Brussels-Capital/Ixelles police. The fire is now under control.
"Our teams were called at around 13:00 to deal with a man who had barricaded himself in his apartment and was possibly armed," said police spokesman Robin De Becker. "When our teams arrived on the scene, it appeared that the man had also set fire to the building."
Faced with this situation, the emergency services evacuated the building. The fire has since been brought under control and extinguished by the fire department. However, during the operation, a police officer suffered smoke inhalation.
"The officer in question has been treated, but his life is certainly not in danger," said the spokesperson. No other injuries have been reported at this stage.
The exact circumstances of the incident remain to be determined. The authorities have not released any further information about the man's motives or whether he has been arrested.
The investigation is continuing in order to shed light on this incident, which occurred in a busy area of the capital's city centre.
