At least five people were killed when a fire broke out in a 10-storey apartment block in the Belgian city of Antwerp on Wednesday, police said. The incident unfolded in the morning, with local emergency services mounting rescues from the exterior of the building.
Police spokesperson Kim Bastiaens said investigators were not yet able to provide a tally of the injured, nor to determine what caused the fire. Initial reports in local media that cited police had put the death toll at six, a figure that was later lowered.
Photographs and accounts from the scene showed rescuers lowering residents from the face of the tower using ropes. Paramedics, multiple fire brigades from different districts and other emergency crews were on site, responding to the blaze and its aftermath.
Survivors described being trapped inside apartments until police and firefighters reached them shortly after the flames began. One resident, 80-year-old Jaklien Heeren, who lives on the fifth floor, said she considered herself fortunate to have escaped. She recounted opening her door and immediately smelling smoke. "(I) could see small flames were coming, and then I went out, and from then, I know nothing any more. I went out and I was lucky." She added that she managed to bring her dog out of the building, but noted two neighbours were not answering their phones.
Geert Dewulf, a resident on the 10th floor, told broadcaster VRTNWS: "We tried to get down on our own but we couldn’t manage it any more. We barricaded ourselves in our apartment and waited on the terrace. About 10 minutes later, the fire department came to rescue us from the terrace with their fire ladder."
Authorities advised people in the vicinity to keep doors and windows closed to reduce exposure to smoke. Multiple ambulances were present at the scene alongside the fire brigades that coordinated the evacuations and rescues.
Belgium’s Prime Minister Bart De Wever, who previously served as mayor of Antwerp, posted on the social platform X that his thoughts were with those affected by the fire.
The country has seen several major fires in recent weeks, including a large warehouse blaze in Brussels, officials noted. Beyond the immediate human toll and emergency response, the episode has raised continued concerns about building safety and the capacity of first responders in urban residential settings.
Context and next steps - Police and investigators will need time to establish the cause of the fire and to clarify the full number of injured. Authorities have not provided an estimate of injured persons and caution that initial figures may change as the situation is assessed further.