Suspicious fire in basement was definitely caused by malicious intent (Hoogstraten)

The investigation by the public prosecutor’s office in Antwerp has made it clear that the fire that started on Sunday evening in the basement of a building on Vrijheid was indeed ignited.

The building houses a hairdresser’s shop on the ground floor and two apartments on the upper floors. On Sunday evening, paper had started burning in a storage room in the basement. The fire brigade quickly extinguished it and called it a suspicious fire. A fire expert arrived on site on Monday and was able to confirm that the fire had been ignited. Most likely the perpetrator used fire accelerators. The public prosecutor’s office is continuing the investigation, no possible suspect has yet been arrested.

The door to the basement and the two apartments is sealed. Hair salon Hair by M was forced to close on Monday and will not open on Tuesday. “I have to disappoint customers again,” says manager Marieke Leppens. “On Sunday evening I briefly went to the hair salon. The pipes run through the basement, but I don’t know if they are damaged and need to be repaired. The outside lighting was still on on Sunday evening, but on Monday evening I saw that it was off. In the meantime, I’m not yet sure whether I can open on Wednesday.” (Ram)