Antwerp: Several dead and injured in fire in residential complex

Antwerp (Belgium) – Major fire in a residential complex in the Linkeroever district of Antwerp! Flames have been blazing from the house since Wednesday morning. Several people were killed and others were seriously injured or suffered smoke inhalation. More and more rescuers are coming to the scene of the accident, and the dramatic operation continues.

Shortly before 10 a.m. the fire broke out in the residential building on August-Vermeylenlaan. About two hundred people are said to live here. It is completely unclear how many of them were at home at the time of the accident. According to the Fire department The fire probably started on the eighth floor – and has not yet been extinguished.

Man climbs out of 8th floor window

Photos and videos show thick black smoke coming from the building. A man stands on the windowsill and hopes to be rescued. The source of the fire appears to be only a few meters away from him.

Fire brigade calls reinforcements to Antwerp

“The Feuer has not yet been deleted and is not yet under control. We initially suspected that the fire had broken out on the eighth floor, but we cannot confirm this at the moment,” said fire department spokeswoman Marie De Clercq to “De Telegraaf” in the Netherlands. Reinforcement from fire rescuers from the area was requested to provide support. Residents should keep windows and doors closed and avoid the area.

It will probably only be possible to say more precisely about the number of victims in a few hours. Rescuers are currently still searching for possible people in the ten-story apartment building near the harbor.

Former mayor had to be evacuated

According to Belgian media reports, former Antwerp mayor Bob Cools (92) and his family had to be evacuated. “We’re doing well,” his son-in-law tells Nieuwsblad. He and the Cools are neighbors on the eighth floor of the fire house. According to the son-in-law, Bob Cools and his wife Jacky Braem had to be taken to the hospital for examination. “We tried everything to save the cat, but unfortunately we didn’t succeed,” he continued to tell the newspaper. There is still no information about the possible cause of the fire.