On Sunday morning around 6:30 am, election posters on the side wall of the home of Vooruit councilor Jan Rosschaert in Hamme, East Flanders, were set on fire. A passing home nurse noticed the fire in time and was able to wake the residents, preventing a house fire.
On the side wall of Alderman Rosschaert’s home in the Hospitaalstraat in Hamme, there are posters for his fellow party members Lotte De Blende and Joris Vandenbroucke. They will both stand for the House in the June 9 elections. Those posters were set on fire very early on Sunday morning, says an upset Rosschaert.
“My wife Katrien and I were woken up because the doorbell rang incessantly just after 6.30 am. Home nurse Clio Moens had noticed the fire on our side wall during her morning rounds. Fortunately, she was able to wake us up, because the wooden cladding of the gutter above the burning posters was already glowing.”
Rosschaert immediately notified the fire brigade, after which he tried to extinguish the fire himself. “I managed to extinguish the fire myself. There was already a penetrating smell of smoke in the attic. The fire brigade checked possible smoldering areas with an infrared camera, but the disaster was resolved.”
The police arrived on the scene and started an investigation. — © ypw
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.
© ypw
(jvdv, ies)
Tags: Election posters set fire facade local Vooruit councilors
