The Brussels Public Prosecutor’s Office has opened a manslaughter investigation following a fatal fire on Saturday night in Schaerbeek, Bruzz reports.
Two people died and eight were injured in the fire, which broke out in a residential building near a busy shopping area on Chaussée de Haecht. Firefighters found the victims unconscious in a third-floor apartment and evacuated four unconscious people via the stairs leading to the second floor.
Unconfirmed reports in Belgian media say that a Ugandan woman in her forties died in the blaze, alongside her 18-year-old daughter.
According to Bruzz, following the fire, the public prosecutor's office opened an investigation into involuntary manslaughter and slumlord practices.
One neighbour told the Dutch-language daily: “They live there crammed together with a hundred people. They are Syrians, Somalis, Romanians...all utilities are arranged off the books. It was absolutely not safe there.”
The fire was finally extinguished around 03:10 on Sunday. The exact cause of the blaze is not yet known and is the subject of further investigation.
The municipality of Schaerbeek mobilised its services to accommodate evacuated residents and provide temporary housing if necessary. The majority of the victims were taken to the Schaerbeek Town Hall , where a reception centre was set up in collaboration with the Red Cross. A STIB bus transported the affected residents there. Victim support services were also contacted.
"Our first thoughts are with the deceased victims, their families, and all the residents affected by this tragic fire. The municipality and the emergency services are joining forces to provide everyone with the necessary medical, psychosocial, and practical support," said Schaerbeek Mayor Martin de Brabant.
