A day after a fire made his rental home along the Boeren Krijgsingel in Runkst-Hasselt uninhabitable, resident Ivan Dejeneffe (60) and his family are staying in a hotel. The fire broke out just after 11 a.m. on Wednesday.
“Our hotel stay is for two nights. I have an appointment with the OCMW on Friday. The intention is that I, my wife and daughter will be allocated emergency housing,” says Ivan Dejeneffe (60). “No idea how long we can stay in that emergency home. After that I hope to find an apartment for us in Hasselt.”
Friends
The cause of the fire is still unclear. “My son, who is going to live separately, was cleaning the veranda with gasoline. There were many cables from a computer, LED lighting and all kinds of installations… A short circuit may have caused the fire. The entire ground floor has been destroyed,” as can also be seen in a video that Ivan made. In the meantime, he can count on help from many friends. “I have already received many telephone calls from people who want to donate furniture to me. But of course I can’t store them now. I have to wait. At the moment I have no idea whether the emergency home is furnished or not.”
Expanding
The emergency services were alerted just after 11 a.m. on Wednesday. When they arrived it was a raging fire. The resident suffered minor hair burns. In an initial statement he said that the fire started in the rear building. Fire department officer Tom Bosmans: “The fire started under the roof in the rear building. They were there with two people cleaning up something. It is probably something electrical that caused the fire.” Local residents had also heard an explosion. The fire started under the roof.
The firefighters quickly brought the fire under control. “This is two houses under one roof. We immediately went to the neighbors to check so that we could stop the fire. That seems to have worked. There is no damage to the neighbors. But the affected house is currently uninhabitable. The damage is extensive.”
After extinguishing the fire, another check was carried out to ensure that there were no sources of fire anywhere in the house. A family with two children lives in the house. “Our social services are working with the family to find suitable accommodation,” said Mayor Steven Vandeput (N-VA). (mm/height)
© GeHo
A plume of black smoke was briefly visible above Hasselt. — © rr
Tags: UPDATE Victims house fire Runkst temporarily stay hotel Hasselt
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