Etterbeek fire almost completely destroys event venue

A fire in Etterbeek on Wednesday evening has almost completely destroyed a 1,100m² venue near the Arsenal tram stop on the border with Auderghem.

The building is operated by the Choux de Bruxelles group and no injuries have been reported.

“The firefighting efforts were hampered by the presence of solar panels,” said fire brigade spokesperson Walter Derieuw.

“The flames were raging under the panels. A defensive attack was launched from outside, using, among other things, aerial ladders that were set up as water towers. Sibelga shut off the utilities, while Vivaqua intervened to increase the water pressure on the pipes.”

According to the fire brigade, there was also a serious risk of the wooden roof collapsing. As a result, the fire brigade was initially unable to extinguish the fire from the inside and three aerial ladders were deployed, as well as four fire engines and a tanker.

“We do not yet know the cause of the fire, but the flames spread at an alarming rate,” said Etterbeek mayor Vincent De Wolf (MR).

“I went to the scene immediately, as there are homes along Avenue des Volontaires near the building. Fortunately, no evacuations were necessary. There is no toxic smoke. There are also no injuries and no private buildings have been affected.”

The fire caused considerable smoke that was visible from other municipalities and residents were temporarily asked to keep windows and doors closed and to switch off ventilation systems to prevent smoke from entering homes.

The fire, which is thought to have begun at about 23.00, was put out by 3.00 but the follow-up extinguishing and clean-up work took quite some time and the last fire engine did not leave the scene until 7.30 on Thursday morning.

Maison du Bois is a 1,100m² event venue that can be hired by groups and can accommodate up to 500 people. It is used for a variety of activities, such as conferences, seminars, dinners, galas and receptions.

De Wolf confirmed that the damage to Maison du Bois was significant: “The roof, which is made of wood, was completely on fire.”