Industrial fire destroys two companies, building collapses after explosions (Sint-Pieters-Leeuw)

The fire was located in an extensive building that faces both the Bergensesteenweg opposite the former Makro and the Jan Baptist Wautersstraat. Numerous companies are located on the site. The fire started at a company located on Jan Baptist Wautersstraat.

“There, used vehicles are dismantled and the materials are then sorted and recycled,” explains Mayor Jan Desmeth (N-VA). “During grinding work, something went wrong with the fuel that was still in the tank around 4:15 p.m. The manager tried to extinguish the fire himself, but that turned out to be in vain.”

Explosions

Upon arrival of the Flemish Brabant West fire zone, the building was already completely ablaze and there had already been a transfer to the adjacent company. There were several gas bottles and strong explosions occurred. As a result, the walls and roof of the adjacent company, where rags are stored, completely collapsed.

In addition to a massive turnout from the Flemish Brabant fire brigade zone, the Brussels fire brigade also came to assist. At the request of the fire brigade, the municipal disaster plan was also announced to get the right people and resources on site quickly and in a structured manner. (Read more below the photo)

Huge plume of smoke

The fire was also accompanied by a huge plume of smoke that could be seen from miles away. The smoke was mapped with a federal police helicopter. The Civil Protection arrived on site to take measurements.

Residents in the affected areas were advised to keep windows and doors closed and to turn off ventilation systems. According to Mayor Desmeth, the KV Zuun youth training sessions were also canceled because the site was full of smoke.

The garage owner was taken to hospital for a check-up because he had inhaled too much smoke.

Escaped?

According to the first call, there were still several people in the building, but that was no longer the case when the emergency services arrived. According to Mayor Desmeth, the manager confirmed that everyone was able to leave the building in time. Several people present on the site are said to have fled, but it is not clear where they were working.

Given the extensive damage, the building was no longer stable, which meant that the fire brigade could not enter the two affected companies. The Civil Protection arrived on site in the evening with cranes to demolish the still standing facades and separate the rubble. Both emergency services and the mayor hope that there was no one left in the building. According to initial reports, all other companies on the site were unaffected.