Leke (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Emergency services responded to a CO leak in a house on Lekedorpstraat, Leke, Belgium. 11 Afghan family members were living there. A child fainted multiple times. Commissioner Rafael Rondelez confirmed no life-threatening cases. A broken wood stove caused the leak. The family was hospitalised in Ostend and Veurne. De Woonwinkel arranged alternative housing.
On Monday, 10 March 2025, at approximately 2 p.m., the emergency services were called to a house on Lekedorpstraat in Leke, close to Diksmuide, Belgium. The residence belongs to an Afghan family consisting of 11 individuals.
Officials mentioned that this language barrier made it hard to understand what was happening and get important information. Emergency services responded quickly. Both the police and fire brigade arrived at the scene to assess the situation.
What caused the CO leak that hospitalized 11 in Leke?
When the firemen went inside the house, they found there was a lot of carbon monoxide (CO) in the air. Authorities said that CO is a harmful gas that can make someone extremely sick or even kill them. The firemen understood this was a hazardous situation, so they asked for extra help.
They wanted to make sure everyone in the house got medical attention. The emergency centre sent 2 more ambulances to help the people who were sick. The firefighters and paramedics acted quickly to help the family. They mentioned that if they hadn’t, the family could have gotten very sick or even died from the CO.
The police decided to send all 11 people in the house to the hospital, just to be safe. They were worried because one of the children had passed out a few times. Police mentioned that other family members only felt a little dizzy and sick to their stomachs. No one lost consciousness and everyone was okay.
The emergency services helped everyone get to the hospital quickly. The family was taken to hospitals in Ostend and Veurne. Doctors will check them to see how badly they were affected by the carbon monoxide and give them any medicine they need.
The firefighters figured out that a broken wood stove in the house was making the carbon monoxide. They immediately turned off the gas stove to prevent more gas from leaking. After that, they opened windows and doors to remove the CO.
According to the officials, once the house was clean, the family could go back home. But, because the situation was so serious, the authorities decided to find another place for the family to stay while they checked the house again. They worked with De Woonwinkel to make sure the family had a safe place to live.
