One person was seriously injured in a house fire on Sunday evening on Rue Lambert Vandervelde in Watermael-Boitsfort, Brussels, according to the Brussels fire brigade.
The victim was found unconscious in the ground-floor apartment and revived at the scene before being urgently transferred to the Military Hospital, said fire brigade spokesperson Walter Derieuw.
The fire broke out around 8:30 pm in a kitchen on the rear side of the ground floor. Emergency crews, including firefighters, paramedics, and police from the Marlow zone, responded to the incident, encountering heavy smoke spreading to the upper floors.
Firefighters rescued two residents from a balcony on the second floor using an aerial ladder during the operation. Simultaneously, teams carried out search and rescue efforts inside the building while battling the blaze.
Other than the gravely injured victim, five other occupants of the building required medical evaluations but did not need hospitalisation. Two cats were also safely recovered and returned to their owner.
The fire was quickly brought under control by 8:55 pm, though its cause has yet to be determined. A safety perimeter was established by police, while utility company Sibelga cut off gas and electricity supplies as a precaution.
The building was deemed uninhabitable, and residents managed to relocate independently.
Firefighters expressed concern over the absence of smoke detectors in the property, despite a regional law requiring their installation in all residences from 1 January 2025.
