Overjise (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – A major gas leak in Overijse at Kokstraat and Brusselsesteenweg during Fluvius utility work led to evacuations, including 49 children and 15 teachers from Babilou and Beierskind daycare centres. Mayor Inge Lenseclaes activated the disaster plan. The leak was sealed by 7 p.m., and residents returned safely.
The leakage of gas has been reported at Overijse, in Belgium‘s Flemish Brabant region, close to Brussels, early in the afternoon while work for utility company Fluvius was in progress. The leak occurred at the Kokstraat intersection with Brusselsesteenweg when an excavator by chance struck a pipeline carrying gas and produced a leak.
In response, emergency personnel evacuated everyone in the affected area as a precaution. Due to the severity of the crisis, the municipality implemented its disaster plan so that all the groups could coordinate their reaction. Authorities mentioned that they worked fast to secure the site, figure out the risks, and prevent the situation from getting worse while waiting for specialised teams to fix the damaged pipeline.
How did the Overijse gas leak lead to multiple evacuations?
The police station and 2 daycare centres, Babilou and Beierskind, were also evacuated as a safety measure. Mayor Inge Lenseclaes said that 49 children and 15 teachers from the daycare centres were moved safely to the sports hall at Sint-Martinuscollege, which was outside the dangerous area.
5 people who lived in the area also stayed in the sports hall for a while because they didn’t have anywhere else to go. Emergency workers stayed at the site to take care of everything, fix the problem, and make sure people could go back home safely once the gas leak was completely stopped.
A nearby secondary school was also part of the dangerous area, so students were sent home in the afternoon. A day centre for people with disabilities was also evacuated to keep everyone safe.
According to the officials, emergency workers worked hard all day to handle the situation, making sure everyone was moved to a safe place. People in charge kept watching the area while special teams fixed the broken gas pipeline and made sure there were no more dangers.
The gas leak was fixed by 7 pm. Mayor Inge Lenseclaes said the gas leak was completely stopped and there was no more danger to the neighbourhood. People who had to leave were allowed to go back to their homes, businesses, and schools. The mayor thanked all the emergency workers and volunteers who helped out.
The gas leak has been completely sealed,
says the mayor.
There is no longer any danger to the neighbourhood. I would like to thank all the emergency services and volunteers for making the evacuation go so smoothly.
