The exact cause of the fire that claimed the life of a young Italian woman in Etterbeek on Saturday morning has still not been determined, the Brussels public prosecutor’s office said on Tuesday.
A fire broke out at dawn on Saturday in a house with two student flats on rue Aviateur Thieffry in Etterbeek. The Brussels fire brigade intervened at around 05:00 and discovered an unconscious young woman on the second floor of the building, in one of the student accommodations (kot).
The fire started in the kitchen of the property on the ground floor. Smoke quickly spread to the second floor, where the young woman was staying. The speed of the fire was reportedly boosted by the presence of lots of wooden furniture inside the apartment.
The victim was asleep and had suffered smoke inhalation. Resuscitation was initiated but to no avail. The victim, a 29-year-old woman, died.
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According to Rai, the Italian public television channel, she was from Fiesso d’Artico, a town near Venice. She had been living in Belgium since 2021. She had already spent her Erasmus in Belgium in 2016 as part of her studies.
The young woman had completed a doctoral thesis and spoke several languages. She had recently become a communications manager for IFOAM, an international federation representing the interests of organic farmers.
