Kleine-Spouwen ( Brussels Morning Newspaper ) – Local emergency responders contained a major fire that started in a Kleine-Spouwen garage. Several vehicles in the garage were destroyed when the fire erupted on Saturday, January 25, 2025.
A major fire occurred in Kleine-Spouwen, where emergency services quickly stabilised the situation in this garage. The blaze started on Saturday, January 25th 2025, and consumed numerous vehicles kept inside this facility. All occupants inside and firefighters who responded to the scene escaped unharmed. The rapid intervention of local firefighters rescued neighbouring buildings and contained the damage to the garage property.
The fire alarm reached emergency personnel at the beginning of their afternoon shift.
There was some concern that asbestos might have been released, but that turned out not to be necessary,
says mayor Bruno Steegen (Team Burgemeester).
The fire broke out in a shed belonging to a company in the Jaak Vandersandenstraat in Kleine-Spouwen.
When we arrived, the fire was already quite developed, so we had to scale up immediately,
said the fire department of the East Limburg zone.
The fire department managed to get the flames under control after an hour and a half.
The last small things are still being extinguished, but the operational phase has been called off,
said the mayor.
Of course, we were also lucky with the weather because it is raining.
It is not clear what caused the fire. The investigation will have to determine that,
the fire department said.
The garage was detached, so only the shed itself was badly damaged.
A few cars were burnt out in the fire. Especially because there were a lot of car tyres stored in the warehouse, there was a lot of smoke development,
Steegen adds. There were no injuries.
The firefighting team used multiple firefighting methods to fight the flames while they fought to control the fire. Investigations continue to determine the origin of the fire as officials check possible elements that potentially triggered the fire. Local residents remained reassured because firefighters controlled the fire, which preserved both personal properties and public security across the area.
There was some concern that asbestos might have been released, but that turned out not to be necessary,
the mayor added.
There are asbestos sheets present at the location, but they were not affected by the fire. No asbestos particles were released into the air.
What is the background of garage fires in the region?
Fire incidents in Belgian garages have become a public safety concern as domestic fire occurrences continue to increase throughout the country. Research shows that house fires in Belgium have become increasingly common as the Brussels fire brigade handles two residential fires daily.
- Only five months into the year, when 44 people died from domestic fires, a garage fire in April 2024 tragically claimed a woman’s life.
- A massive garage fire erupted on August 22, 2024, due to improperly stored flammable objects, resulting in severe structural damage and multiple casualties.
- In 2024, house fires throughout Brussels’ territory exceeded 500 incidents, while multiple outbreaks emerged from untreated combustible materials in residential garages and storerooms.
