At least six dead and several injured in a fire in a block of flats in Antwerp, Belgium
The firefighters received the alert at 9:53 a.m. and have already evacuated the building, where more than 200 people lived.
At least six people died this Wednesday in a fire in an apartment building in the city of Antwerp, Belgium. According to the Belgian police, more than 200 people lived in the building, which has already been evacuated, although it is not known how many people were inside when the fire broke out. Police spokeswoman Kim Bastiaens told public television VRT that there are "a significant number of serious and minor injuries".
The local fire department received the alert at 9:53 a.m., reporting a fire of "high intensity" in a ten-story apartment building located in the Linkeroever district. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but according to Bastiaens, it is known that the fire started on the ground floor.
"We ask residents affected by the smoke to close windows and doors and, if necessary, turn off ventilation," the police pointed out. Several fire brigades from different districts of the city have moved to the scene to try to control and extinguish the fire. Evacuated residents who were not injured have been housed in a nearby residential center.