Major fire destroys carnival warehouse in Aalst

A fire has destroyed a warehouse in Aalst used to store carnival floats. The cause was the use of an angle grinder, the East Flanders prosecutor’s office said. The people of the city are “wounded in their hearts,” according to mayor Christophe D’Haese.

In Aalst, home to one of Europe’s largest carnival celebrations, citizens are already hard at work on next year’s festival. Carnival is such a way of life in Aalst that the tradition is on Unesco’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Some 100 people were working in the 800-square-metre warehouse (pictured) on Wednesday evening when the fire broke out. Only one person was injured, but by the time the fire was under control, both the building and the materials inside – used to create carnival floats – were beyond saving.

The fire expert from the prosecutor’s office concluded that the fire was not started deliberately but was the result of sparks from a grinder in the presence of flammable materials. The site is closed for now.

“The grounds will be guarded day and night,” a city spokesperson said. “The city will do everything necessary to begin the demolition and rebuilding of the warehouse as quickly as possible.”

Photo: Jasper Jacobs/BELGA