Brussels firefighters were called out to two car fires on Saturday evening and during the night, causing only material damage, while police investigate whether the incidents are linked.
The first fire was reported at 19:10 in Rue de la Linière in Saint-Gilles, Brussels fire service spokesperson Walter Derieuw said on Sunday. Firefighters extinguished that blaze using a fire engine.
A few hours later, at about 01:00, crews were called to a second car fire in Avenue de la Porte de Hal, near the Ferris wheel at the Zuidfoor fair.
In that incident, flames broke out at the rear of an electric car, which firefighters were able to extinguish using standard procedures.
The Brussels-South police zone, covering Anderlecht, Saint-Gilles and Forest, confirmed both incidents and said investigations are under way.
The two fires happened less than a kilometre apart, but so far investigators have found nothing linking them.
Saint-Gilles mayor Jean Spinette said he nonetheless believes the fire was deliberate. He said he suspected an intimidation tactic between rival gangs, while stressing that this remains a hypothesis.
According to Spinette, the fires also contribute to creating what he described as “a climate of fear”.
