Six people died in an elevator after a fire in Belgium

- Phương Trang - Thursday, 23/7/2026 | 9:02

TCTM - The fire that broke out on the morning of July 14, 2026, at the OXY building construction site, near De Brouckère Square in the center of Brussels, Belgium, has left six people dead. The bodies were found inside one of the building's elevators.

According to Brussels authorities, the fire broke out at around 7:50 a.m. and is believed to have originated from a small blaze on the second floor of the building. Although the initial fire was extinguished, the flames later spread into the elevator shaft and reignited.

This is a construction site still under development, not yet operational; at the time of the incident, only construction workers were reportedly present on site.

The initial fire broke out on the lower floors of the renovation project and was brought under control relatively quickly. However, according to the fire department, the flames spread along the elevator shaft, causing a new fire to break out in the basement.

Mr. Walter Derieuw, spokesperson for the Brussels fire department, stated that the flames appeared to have spread down the elevator shaft to the lower floors. The fire was brought under control after more than an hour.

Mr. Brecht Speybrouck, spokesperson for the Brussels Labor Prosecutor's Office, stated that six bodies were found in an elevator cabin of the building. The identities of the victims have not yet been released.

The Labor Prosecutor's Office is coordinating the investigation into the cause of the fire.

In addition to the six fatalities, two construction workers suffered burns and were taken to hospitals in Brussels and Leuven for treatment. A firefighter was also hospitalized due to heat exhaustion and was subsequently discharged.

Approximately 200 workers at the construction site were evacuated from the fire area.

Immobel, one of the real estate developers of the project, stated that it is cooperating with the authorities. The company referred to the incident as a “human tragedy.”

OXY is a large-scale renovation project of the former Monnaie Center building, located right next to Place De Brouckère — an iconic landmark in the heart of Brussels. The project is in the process of being converted into a complex of apartments, restaurants, and rooftop bars.

The OXY building fire occurred just days after a fire at a laundromat on the night of July 12 into the early morning of July 13, also in Brussels. That blaze spread to the building above, which contained 11 apartments, forcing many people to evacuate. The causes of the recent series of fires in the Belgian capital are under investigation by the authorities.