Five people were taken to hospital with smoke inhalation after a serious fire broke out in a home on Vestingstraat in Antwerp early on Saturday, leaving the building temporarily uninhabitable.
Antwerp fire brigade received the alarm at 4:47 after one of the residents returned home and noticed smoke on the first floor.
The fire started on the first floor and was described as fairly severe. A jewellery shop on the ground floor was not affected.
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Firefighters immediately rescued two people using a ladder before beginning to tackle the blaze, said Marie De Clercq of Antwerp Fire Brigade Zone.
Three more people were then evacuated from the building with a ladder truck. The gas and water supplies were shut off, and the residents are not expected to be able to return home for the time being.
The building suffered extensive smoke and water damage, and the floor is no longer stable.
All five people taken to hospital suffered smoke inhalation, but their injuries do not appear to be serious.
“They are not in a life-threatening condition and some have already been allowed to leave hospital,” said Wouter Bruyns of Antwerp police.
