A fire ripped through a 10-story apartment building in Antwerp, Belgium, resulting in deaths and injuries among residents. The fire began shortly before 10:00 local time on Wednesday in the Linkeroever district. Thick smoke was observed billowing from the eighth floor of the building, which houses more than 200 people.
Firefighters worked to evacuate residents, with reports of individuals trapped by smoke. One resident, Geert Dewulf, described being forced to wait on his balcony with his family until rescue crews arrived with a ladder. Fire services conducted searches from floor to floor, indicating that the rapid spread of smoke complicated evacuation efforts.
In one instance captured on video, a man was seen climbing from his balcony to escape the smoke by entering a neighbor's apartment. Another account detailed the successful evacuation of parents-in-law, one of whom is a former mayor of Antwerp, Bob Cools, who were subsequently taken to a hospital.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, although some witnesses reportedly told local media that construction work was underway on the roof of the building at the time of the incident.