A two-storey apartment building in Anderlecht, formerly a petrol station, has been declared uninhabitable following a large explosion on Friday evening, according to the Brussels fire brigade.
The explosion occurred around 20:00 in a building on Huetstraat in Anderlecht. Emergency services arrived swiftly, and all 11 residents were examined, with no injuries reported.
According to fire brigade spokesperson Walter Derieuw, the blast originated in the basement of the building. The exact cause remains unclear, but one possibility under examination is that residual fuel vapours from the old storage tanks of the petrol station ignited accidentally.
“We suspect an accumulation of fuel gases from the tanks may have caught fire by accident,” Derieuw explained.
The investigation is ongoing, but authorities have confirmed the incident was accidental and involved no external parties.
The building is temporarily uninhabitable due to significant damage, including cracks in its structure. Damage to the pavement in front of the property was also noted.
