Election posters of party members Lotte De Blende and Joris Vandenbroucke, both candidates for the Chamber of Representatives, hung on the side wall of the home of Alderman Jan Rosschaert (Vooruit). For an unknown reason, those posters were set on fire this morning.
“My wife Katrien and I were woken up because the doorbell rang incessantly just after 6.30 am,” says Rosschaert, who has not yet fully recovered from the incident. “Home nurse Clio Moens noticed the fire on our side wall during her morning rounds. Luckily she was able to wake us up, because the wooden cladding of the gutter above the burning posters was already glowing.”
Rosschaert immediately called the fire brigade, but managed to extinguish the fire himself. “There was already a penetrating smell of smoke in the attic. The fire brigade checked possible smoldering places with an infrared camera, but the disaster was resolved.”
The alderman and his wife were deeply affected by the arson. “Something like this sometimes happens with a free-standing sign in a meadow or front garden, but these posters hung against our facade. Then we are talking about arson of a home at night. I cannot imagine that this is directly aimed at me, because I do not experience any problems with anyone.”
The police are investigating unknown persons.
Tags: Election posters set fire facade Alderman Jan Rosschaert Vooruit Hamme
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