Antwerp (Brussels Morning Newspaper): On 12 December at 7 p.m., a fire broke out at a bike shop in Antwerp. The fire was worse because of the electric bike batteries. Eight people living nearby had to leave their homes. Alderman Samuel Markowitz praised the community for helping those affected.
In Antwerp, a fire broke out in a bicycle shop near the city park at 7 p.m. on 12 December. Emergency services arrived quickly and asked for more help to control the flames at the back of the building. Plantin en Moretuslei Street was closed between the city park and Mercatorstraat. There were no injuries, and the public prosecutor’s office is on-site to investigate.
What happened in the Antwerp bike shop fire?
A bike shop in Antwerp caught fire, and there were many electric bikes inside. The police said the bike batteries made the fire worse. Fires with batteries are hard to stop because they can start again. The fire department took the bikes out and put them in the water. Most of the damage is on the ground floor, and there will be smoke damage in the above apartments. The bike shop is likely destroyed.
Residents of the apartments above the bike shop and another apartment on Brialmontlei can’t go home right now. The Jewish Ambulance Service Hatzoloh is helping them. Samuel Markowitz, an alderman in Antwerp, said it was great to see the community come together. Local people are giving shelter, and many are offering food and clothes. Some children who saw the fire are scared, but they are getting support.
