In Blankenberge there was an explosion around 5 pm, followed by a heavy fire in the Astridlaan. An apartment building is completely burning down there. The images do not lie: the black plume of smoke can even be seen in the polders and on the beach. There have been no casualties.
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Police and fire brigade have descended en masse to the area around the Astridlaan, where an apartment building is on fire.
The smoke development is enormous and can be seen far into the vicinity of Blankenberge. The site is currently hermetically sealed and the fire brigade is trying to extinguish the fire, but that is not an easy task.
“The fire brigade immediately arrived on the scene with several pump trucks,” says mayor Bjorn Prasse. “It was a massive fire. The residents of the one apartment on the top floor were traveling. The other was evacuated in time.’
All residents of the affected apartment building and the adjacent building were evacuated. They are currently being accommodated in the service center. ‘There they receive an explanation about what is happening and what still needs to be done. And we provide food and drink for those people. The exact damage will have to be revealed later.’
The fire started in the technical floor of an apartment. An explosion was heard, but it is not yet clear whether that is the cause.
Emergency services recommend avoiding the area and keeping windows and doors closed for the time being. Many people share photos and videos of the inferno on social media.
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