Grimbergen (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Residential members of the warehouse scene that exploded near Grimbergen need to contact Pootjesparadijs animal shelter in Zemst regarding any unidentified felines observed in their vicinity. Numerous stray cats existed near the warehouse. People described some animals with burn wounds who were observed roaming freely.
The animal shelter Pootjesparadijs in Zemst is urging residents near the burned-down warehouse in Grimbergen to report sightings of injured stray cats.
“The burnt-out barn in Grimbergen was also home to quite a few stray cats,”
says volunteer Jasper from the Pootjesparadijs animal shelter in Zemst.
“We have received the first reports of cats that were affected by the fire. One of them has severe burns. The cat fled into a veranda but has now disappeared again. There are probably many more cats that survived the fire, but are injured.”
Several cats were believed to have been living near the warehouse, with some sustaining burns and fleeing the area. Volunteers have already received reports of one severely burned cat that later disappeared. The shelter is requesting public assistance to locate and rescue any remaining affected animals.
“That is why we would like to ask all local residents, walkers, cyclists or passers-by in the Grimbergen, Humbeek and Beigem region: Anyone who sees a cat that is behaving strangely, has difficulty moving or shows signs of being burned, contact the Pootjesparadijs.”
“We ask you to look out for cats hiding under bushes, in garden sheds or behind hedges. It is best not to approach injured cats, but to contact us immediately. It is interesting to take a photo of the animal and note the correct location without startling the animal. In the meantime, we have also placed trap cages,”
Jasper concludes.
What is the history of stray cats and animal rescues in the Grimbergen Region?
A large number of stray cats present ongoing issues for Grimbergen as a municipality located within Flemish Brabant. Stray cats number between 500 and 700 in this area, according to local animal welfare organisations, especially around the burned warehouse industrial zone.
The stray cat population management statistics from Vlaanderen Stray Cats (2023) show that Grimbergen received CNR procedures for more than 200 stray cats during the past year. Fires in industrial zones present an elevated danger because abandoned buildings regularly serve as protection for untamed colonies of animals.
The Pootjesparadijs shelter performs rescues on injured or abandoned animals each year, amounting to 300 cases, including 180 cats as their primary rescue subjects. Previous disasters like the Vilvoorde factory fire from 2021 required the same rescue operation to retrieve 17 cats whose members needed intensive burn treatments.
Veterinary organisations in the region have documented that stray animals faced with fire injuries die at a rate of 40% when no treatment intervention occurs, which demonstrates the critical need for fast-response rescue operations.
Since 2018, local authorities have established trap-neuter-return (TNR) programs, which resulted in a 22% reduction in stray animal numbers based on Flemish Animal Welfare Agency data.
When warehouse fires occur, the displacement of cats leads to their dispersal throughout residential neighborhoods. Since 2022, the Grimbergen municipality has provided annual funding of €15,000 for CNR initiatives, even though shelters such as Pootjesparadijs must depend on volunteer labor and public notifications to handle emergencies.
