Anderlecht (The Brussels Morning Newspaper): A fire started in a carpentry workshop, spreading quickly due to flammable materials. Firefighters arrived with several trucks and managed to control the fire without evacuating nearby homes. No one was hurt, but the workshop was badly damaged and closed.
Afire broke out on 29th August around 6:50 p.m. in a carpentry workshop located in a courtyard surrounded by houses. The fire quickly intensified, prompting a quick response from the local fire department, which sent three fire engines and three ladder trucks to handle the situation. The workshop contained flammable materials like wood and varnishes, making the fire dangerous and difficult to control. The flames spread rapidly, raising concerns about the safety of nearby homes and residents.
How did firefighters successfully contain the Anderlecht workshop blaze?
Firefighters worked hard to control the fire, using ladder trucks to access it from above and spraying water from different angles to prevent it from spreading. Residents in nearby houses were advised to evacuate or stay indoors and the firefighters took precautions to protect both the properties and themselves. Despite the challenges posed by the layout of the workshop and surrounding buildings, the fire brigade’s teamwork eventually brought the fire under control, minimizing damage to adjacent homes. The scene remained active for several hours as firefighters continued to extinguish any remaining hot spots and ensure the safety of the area.
Fire department spokesman Walter Derieuw explained that the fire created a lot of smoke that could be seen from far away, which worried local people. He said that evacuating nearby houses wasn’t necessary because the smoke wasn’t a direct danger to them so residents could stay inside. The carpentry workshop had a strong concrete roof that helped stop the fire from spreading, but it also had plastic domes for light that melted because of the heat from the fire.
The melting plastic domes helped the firefighters. When they melted, they created holes in the roof for the smoke to escape. This made it easier for the smoke to clear out, helping firefighters see better and reducing smoke inside the workshop. The escaping smoke also lowered the heat and made the air better, so the firefighters could work more easily. The strong concrete roof and the holes from the melting domes, the firefighting team managed the fire without needing to evacuate anyone, keeping it contained in the workshop and stopping it from spreading to nearby homes. No one was hurt in the fire, but the carpentry shop can’t be used anymore. Sibelga has cut off the electricity to the building. Cleaning up and putting out the fire will take a long time. The fire department said the fire started by accident.
