The fire at the car company near Bergensesteenweg in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw has been under control since 5:35 p.m. This was reported by mayor of Sint-Pieters-Leeuw Jan Desmeth (N-VA) and fire brigade spokesperson Wouter Jeanfils.
The fire broke out around 3:45 p.m., the mayor tells VRT NWS, in a shed where cars are dismantled. Apparently something went wrong during grinding work on a vehicle: fuel that was still in a tank apparently caught fire. The company owner first tried to extinguish the fire himself, but to no avail.
The fire spread to the building next door, where an explosion occurred and the building collapsed. “Witnesses heard a lot of bangs and when our teams arrived on the scene, it turned out to be a raging fire,” says Wouter Jeanfils of the local fire brigade. The fire in Jan Baptist Wautersstraat caused a lot of smoke development that can be seen in the wider area.
