A fire broke out this Sunday around 8:30 p.m. in the historic center of Brussels, in rue de Grétry, within the Îlot Sacré. The fire started in the kitchen on the 3rd floor of a house. “The occupant had the excellent reflex of closing her kitchen door when leaving her apartment and thus slowed down any possible spread and limited the release of smoke. She also alerted her neighbors. The accidental fire was nipped in the bud. The damage remains limited to the kitchen. The occupant had inhaled smoke and was treated at the scene“, explained Walter Derieuw, the spokesperson for the Brussels rescue zone.
The intervention was slowed down
The firefighters underline the difficulties of intervention in this highly touristic place. “Following the glorious weather, many pedestrians were strolling the streets, which caused an additional delay. Difficult deployment of our ladders in the narrow street, cluttered with terraces and awnings. Following the presence of many onlookers, the police had an arduous task to establish a security zone to facilitate the work of the emergency services.“, indicated Walter Derieuw.
To reduce the risk of obstruction in the event of an intervention, the Mobility unit of the firefighters consults with the administrative authorities to maintain the pedestrian zone and the activity of the shops. “Our “Map” service provides up-to-date itineraries that take into account traffic restrictions and carries out control visits to realize the reality on the ground. And, last but not least, our men and women on duty organize daily topographical visits with intervention vehicles to visit places that are difficult to access and/or specific buildings.“, explains Walter Derieuw.”The SIAMU is an unconditional follower of controls and verbalizations to enforce traffic restrictions instead of the placement of obstacles and / or the redevelopment of the roadway, which hinder / slow down the fluid flow of our emergency columns“, he underlines.