Merksem (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – An apartment building located on the Bredabaan in Merksem experienced a fire at dawn. The fire department rescued multiple people when they needed to leave the building. The hospital staff transported several residents to receive medical attention. The building currently undergoes ventilation measures by the fire department.
This morning, firefighters responded to a fire inside a four-storey apartment building located at Bredabaan in Merksem, Antwerp. The emergency response started when Antwerp fire brigade units arrived at 8:10 a.m. to perform evacuations and rescue the single person on the roof with their ladder truck.
Medical responders delivered multiple individuals to hospitals for medical care. The fire department performs building ventilation while they continue to investigate the fire’s cause.
“It was a very heavy fire. We had to evacuate a few people from the building and help someone off the roof with a ladder truck. Others got out on their own,” says Ninke Neyrinck of the Antwerp Fire Zone.
“The MUG doctor also decided to announce the medical intervention plan in order to be able to offer the victims the necessary help. Several people were taken to hospital for care,” says Neyrinck.
“The fire department is currently ventilating the building to get all the smoke out because smoke is obviously toxic, and then the city engineer can check whether the building is still habitable,” says Neyrinck.
“The cause of the fire is not yet known, the public prosecutor’s office will probably appoint a fire expert for this. The fire was limited to the building itself.”
“We currently have no insight into the damage, that will be until the ventilation works are completed,” Neyrinck concludes.
What is the history of fire incidents in Merksem and Antwerp?
Antwerp frequently experiences residential fire emergencies like the one that occurred in Bredabaan in Merksem. The Antwerp Fire Zone reports that residential fires in the city occur at a rate of 1,200 per year and that Merksem, along with other dense neighbourhoods, experiences a substantial number of these fires.
Antwerp property losses from fires passed the €50 million mark in 2022, indicating the substantial threat fire incidents pose to security and monetary stability.
The firefighting efforts at four-storey apartment buildings, such as the Bredabaan construction, encounter complex challenges because of restricted entry points and emergency requirements for ladder trucks. The Antwerp Fire Zone has placed a strong emphasis on implementing fire safety measures that include smoke detectors alongside evacuation plans to reduce potential hazards. Most older buildings in Merksem lack modern safety equipment, which makes them more susceptible to danger.
