Last week's deadly tower block fire in Antwerp's Linkeroever district was caused by a short circuit after a water pipe was hit during electrical works, the city's public prosector has confirmed.
The fire broke out on Wednesday, 1 July, shortly after 10:00 in a 10-storey block of flats on the August Vermeylenlaan in Antwerp, killing five people. Due to the nature of the fire, with a lot of smoke being trapped in the building, fire services struggled to put it out.
The Antwerp public prosecutor told survivors and the families of victims that the fire is currently being investigated as involuntary arson and involuntary manslaughter.
"During the replacement of an electrical box, a copper pipe containing water was hit and started leaking. This leak caused a short circuit and fire in the shaft connecting all the floors in the building," the prosecutor said.
"Due to the shaft running to each floor, the fire spread quickly to multiple levels."
