MerelBeke-Melle (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Cleanup has begun in Merelbeke-Melle after a fire on August 6, 2025, destroyed 2 Servietto warehouses and a meat trader’s facility, with Mayor Egbert Lachaert and officials supervising the operation.
As VRT News reported, workers are now cleaning the site of a major industrial fire that destroyed several warehouses in early August 2025 in Merelbeke-Melle, located in the province of East Flanders, Belgium. They are currently cleaning debris, doing a hazard assessment for the site, and sorting materials for safe disposal.
Officials are supervising the work closely and coordinating with safety and environmental experts. The process is expected to take time due to the size of the site and the need for careful handling.
“The insurance companies involved first had to reach an agreement and then decide which cleanup company they would work with,”
says Mayor Egbert Lachaert (Blauw).
Who’s leading the cleanup after the Merelbeke-Melle fire destroyed 3 warehouses?
Cleaning up the site of the large industrial fire will be a major task, says Lachaert. He explained that the scale of the debris makes the operation complex and time-consuming.
“As a municipality, we have already urged them to start as quickly as possible,”
Lachaert said. He added that the site remains a wasteland, with a huge pile of rubble and damaged materials that need to be removed immediately.
The start of the cleanup is also a relief for residents, Lachaert emphasised. Many nearby gardens still contain remnants of the fire, including scattered debris and broken walls.
“It is good for residents that the cleanup has finally begun,”
he said.
On August 6, 2025, a major fire broke out at the Servietto packaging company in Merelbeke-Melle, East Flanders, destroying 2 of its warehouses and a nearby facility operated by a meat trader. The blaze left behind large amounts of debris and caused significant damage to the site. Authorities confirmed that no asbestos-containing materials reached the gardens of nearby homes.
