At least six people have lost their lives in the fire that broke out early this Tuesday in a large building located in the heart of Brussels. The building, which was not occupied because it was undergoing renovation, was housing numerous workers carrying out construction work at the time.
The Labor Authority has confirmed that six people were found lifeless by the fire and emergency services. The bodies, which have not yet been identified, were found in the shaft of one of the building's elevators, while a second was found empty, according to the public television channel RTBF.
According to initial information released by the authorities, the fire originated on the second floor of the OXY building and spread, rendering at least two elevators unusable. The agency does not rule out the possibility of more victims, as a third elevator, used as a freight elevator, has not yet been inspected by rescue teams.
As a direct consequence of the fire, two people were seriously injured and were urgently transferred to hospitals in Brussels and Leuven after being evacuated from the area.
The OXY building, which was formerly the administrative headquarters of the Brussels Center district council, is undergoing extensive rehabilitation to transform it into a property with apartments and leisure spaces, including a luxury hotel and several restaurants. For this reason, at the time of the incident, there were numerous workers inside, most of whom were able to be evacuated before the flames spread through the elevators.
Although the fire broke out early in the morning and was controlled shortly after, emergency teams did not manage to recover the first bodies until well into the afternoon, due to access complications in the area of the affected elevators.
The Prime Minister of Belgium, Bart de Wever, and King Philippe of the Belgians traveled to the scene of the accident after 4:00 PM to learn about the situation firsthand and express their condolences.