Two people were killed and eight others injured, including two seriously, in a major fire on Chaussée de Haecht in Schaerbeek during the night from Saturday to Sunday.
When the first emergency crews arrived, smoke had already spread into the street. The building contains several flats reached through a shared entrance and multiple stairwells.
The fire broke out in the communal areas of the stairwell furthest from the entrance. Because the doors and windows of a third-floor flat were also open, smoke was able to enter the property.
During the operation, firefighters found four unconscious people in the third-floor flat. They brought them down the stairs to the second floor, where they were evacuated by turntable ladder and handed over to emergency medical teams.
The fire was brought under control at about 03:10. The exact cause is not yet known and remains under investigation.
The public prosecutor’s office was informed and a forensic laboratory was called in.
The municipality of Schaerbeek also deployed its services to receive evacuated residents and provide temporary accommodation if needed. Most of those affected were taken to Schaerbeek town hall, where a reception centre was set up in cooperation with the Red Cross.
A STIB bus transported residents to the reception centre. Victim support services were also activated.
“Our first thoughts are with those who died, their loved ones and all residents affected by this tragic fire,” said mayor Martin de Brabant. “The municipality and emergency services are joining forces to provide everyone with the medical, psychosocial and practical support they need.”
