Grimbergen (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Firefighters delivered an octogenarian from a Beatrijslaan house fire in Grimbergen throughout the night from Tuesday to Wednesday.
Grimbergen firefighters rescued an 85-year-old inhabitant from their burning Beatrijslaan bungalow from Tuesday to Wednesday. Firefighters rushed to the emergency quickly discovered the elderly woman even though excessive carbon monoxide (CO) levels existed inside the house.
“Luckily, we found her quickly, because there was a lot of CO in the bungalow,”
Said Wouter Jeanfils of the fire brigade. The fire incident left the resident uninjured, and she found safety with neighbors after she reported the smoke to the authorities.
The call came in around 1:30.
“On arrival, there was a raging roof fire,”
Says Wouter Jeanfils of the Flemish Brabant West fire department.
“We rescued the residents of the building. She was not injured.”
“The fire probably started from smouldering roofing during work on the roof,”
Says mayor Bart Laeremans (Renewal).
“The 85-year-old resident noticed the smoke and opened the door for the fire brigade herself, after which she immediately found shelter with the neighbors. She was not injured. The fire brigade had to cut open the roof to extinguish the fire. My mother lives in the same street; it was quite a shock when I heard the news.”
“Fortunately, we found her quickly because there was a lot of CO in the bungalow. Our teams were able to quickly knock down the flames. The damage was mainly to the roof structure. Due to the increased CO levels, we had to ventilate the affected and adjacent homes.”
What are the implications and background of the incident?
Construction-related fires that occur from smouldering materials commonly appear during maintenance or construction processes, resulting in substantial risks to residential areas.
Annually, Belgium reports more than ten thousand residential fires to their Home Affairs department, and most fires stem from construction operations combined with electrical failures. Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, a major hazard in such incidents, accounts for numerous fatalities and injuries each year.
A recent fire in Grimbergen shows how challenging it remains to protect people despite tight fire safety regulations in this Flemish Brabant municipality. The Grimbergen Fire Brigade from the Flemish Brabant West department demonstrates their readiness to handle such situations through their rapid reaction.
