In brief
A fire broke out before 10:00 on Wednesday in a 10‑storey apartment block in Antwerp’s Linkeroever district, killing five people and leaving several injured. Thick smoke poured out of the eighth floor, prompting dramatic rescue operations that saw residents being moved out of balconies into neighbouring windows. Firefighters reported that the blaze was caused by a technical fault on the ground floor and that evacuation involved 80 flats out of the 200 residents in the building. The fire was extinguished later that afternoon, and King Philippe visited the site to speak with residents. Authorities and political leaders held moments of silence to honour the victims.
Five people died and several others were injured when a fire broke out in a 10‑storey block of flats in Antwerp’s Linkeroever district. Thick smoke billowed from the eighth floor just before 10:00 local time, forcing residents into darkened corridors and balconies.
The fire started in the ground‑floor basement, apparently caused by a technical fault. The city’s fire service evacuated 80 flats out of the 200 residents who live in the building, but the rapidly spreading smoke made it difficult to pull everyone out in time.
Video footage showed a man climbing from his balcony into a neighbour’s window to escape the smoke, a dramatic illustration of the danger residents faced.
Firefighters reported they were moving from flat to flat searching for survivors; the poor visibility and thick smoke hindered their efforts. One resident, Geert Dewulf, said the smoke trapped them inside their flat, and they were pulled to safety by a ladder after ten minutes.
Authorities initially reported six deaths but revised the count to five as the afternoon progressed and the blaze was extinguished.
Belgian King Philippe visited Linkeroever to meet evacuated residents and inspect the damage. Prime Minister Bart De Wever expressed condolences to the victims’ families and the evacuated.
The Flemish parliament opened its session with a minute’s silence for the victims.
