Lantin (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – A May 29, 2025, fire at Lantin Prison near Liège killed 1 firefighter, injured 3, and caused €1 million in damage. Minister Annelies Verlinden urged urgent repairs to avoid overcrowding Belgium’s prisons.
As VRT News reported, Lantin Prison, in the province of Liege, one of the biggest jails in Belgium, was badly damaged when a fire started on May 29, 2025, in the laundry room. A note from Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden (CD&V), shared with Le Soir, says fixing the damage at Lantin Prison will cost about €1 million.
Around €600,000 will go to urgent building repairs to make the prison safe again. Another €150,000 is needed to buy new machines and tools that have burned, like laundry equipment. The last €250,000 will be used to keep space for prisoners during the work.
How will €1M in repairs restore the fire-damaged Lantin prison?
According to officials, the repairs are seen as crucial for Belgium’s prison network because Lantin is one of the biggest and most important jails in the country. If the work is not done quickly, other prisons could become crowded. Workers are starting repairs fast, first making damaged parts safe and getting key areas running again.
Lantin Prison, located near Liège, is one of Belgium’s largest prisons and houses several hundred inmates, including those serving long sentences. The facility, built in the 1970s, has faced issues with ageing infrastructure for years, with unions and inspectors warning about safety risks before the fire.
On May 29, 2025, the flames spread fast, causing panic inside the prison and forcing a big emergency response. A firefighter died while trying to stop the fire, and 3 more were badly injured. A similar incident happened in March 2021 at Saint-Hubert Prison in the Luxembourg province of Belgium, when a fire broke out in one of the cell blocks.
The blaze started in an inmate’s cell and spread smoke through the building, forcing the evacuation of dozens of prisoners. Several inmates and guards suffered from smoke inhalation, and emergency crews worked for hours to control the situation. While no one had died.
