A fire broke out Thursday evening in an apartment building in Schaerbeek, Brussels, leaving the building uninhabitable, according to firefighters.
Emergency services, including firefighters, police, and medical personnel, were alerted at 8.35 pm to the blaze at the corner of Rue Van Dyck and Chaussée de Haecht.
The building consisted of two parts: one with two floors and another with four. The fire began on the first floor of the smaller section. The three residents managed to escape safely, said Walter Derieuw, spokesperson for Brussels Fire Department.
Firefighters attacked the flames from outside and inside the building, eventually extinguishing them. During a search for victims, they discovered a cat on the third floor suffering from severe smoke inhalation. Despite attempts to resuscitate the animal, it did not survive.
The building suffered extensive damage from fire and smoke and is now uninhabitable, Derieuw added. Adjacent buildings were ventilated and checked for carbon monoxide before firefighters left the scene around 11pm.
The cause of the fire remains unclear, but Derieuw noted that there were no smoke detectors in the building. Their installation is required by law.
