Eernegem (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – On Zedelgemsesteenweg, a grease spill made the road dangerously slippery. Firefighters’ initial cleaning attempts failed, leading to a road closure at 8:00 PM on February 7, 2025. Mayor Liven Cobbaert said the cleanup involved high-pressure water, detergents, and brushes.
On February 7, 2025, at around 5:30 PM, a vehicle spilled grease while turning onto Zedelgemsesteenweg from Oostendesteenweg. This made the road very slippery. More grease was found on Biezestraat, showing the spill spread.
According to the authorities, the dangerous conditions were a risk for drivers, so they called the fire brigade to clean it up. Firefighters tried to use detergent to remove the grease, but it did not work. They mentioned that the thick grease stayed on the road and continued to be unsafe for motorists and cyclists.
How did a grease spill make Zedelgemsesteenweg dangerous to drive?
According to Lieutenant Jan Ghyselbrecht, after the detergent didn’t work, they tried using high-pressure steam at 140 degrees Celsius. They thought the heat and pressure would help dissolve the grease. But the grease spread out more, making the road even slipperier.
Ghyselbrecht believed the spilled substance was animal fat, likely tallow, which is hard to clean from asphalt. He mentioned that the combination of water, heat, and pressure likely caused the grease to spread further, making it harder to clean up. The road remained dangerous as the fire brigade continued their work, needing more help to make it safe for drivers again.
The fire brigade could not clear the grease quickly, so authorities closed Zedelgemsesteenweg at 8:00 PM. This was between Oostendesteenweg and Fabriekweg. The fire brigade worked with the municipal technical service all night and into the next day. Officials mentioned that they needed to find a better way to clean the road. Their main goal was to make the road safe again as soon as possible, but the cleanup was tough and needed more effort.
“We are now fully focused on cleaning,”
Says Mayor Lieven Cobbaert (Team Mayor).
“We are using a combination of high pressure, different types of detergent and brushing.”
According to Mayor Lieven Cobbaert, they were using all available resources to solve the problem. He explained that the cleanup involved high-pressure water, different detergents, and mechanical brushes to remove the grease.
Authorities were also trying to find out where the spill came from. They did not know who lost the grease yet. He mentioned that if they find the responsible person, that person could get a fine and would have to pay for the cleanup costs.
