Fire breaks out at Schaerbeek squat occupied by asylum seekers
The Schaerbeek squat occupied by several hundred asylum seekers was on fire on January 12, 2023.
The Brussels Fire Brigade was fighting a fire that seems violent this Thursday, January 12, 2023 at rue des Palais in Schaerbeek. The fire unfortunately broke out around 1:45 p.m. on the site called "Palais des droits", occupied for several weeks by some 700 asylum seekers.
According to the spokesperson for the men of the fire Walter Derieuw, the fire is located "in a room on the 3rd floor. It causes a strong release of smoke". The fire is attacked from the inside and the outside while ventilation has been carried out.
The emergency services specify that "the people present on the other floors refuse to evacuate the premises". This has the consequence that the search and possible care of potential victims ("search & rescue" in the jargon of firefighters) is complicated. Around 2:30 p.m., however, there were no injuries to the knowledge of the firefighters.
The origin is due "among other things" to a mattress on fire, "hence the release of smoke". 3 pumpers, 2 self-ladders, 2 SMUR teams and 3 ambulances were mobilized.
