Stormy weather requires 311 interventions by Brussels firefighters

The services of the Brussels fire department were called upon 311 times from Sunday to Monday morning as a result of the heavy storms that swept across the country. The interventions mostly had to do with fallen trees. "One tree landed on the tram tracks at Val Duchesse, disrupting tram traffic for some time," spokesperson Malika Abbad told Bruzz.

The fire department also received a lot of calls about insulation and roofing blown away by the strong winds, which almost completely ripped off the roof of the ski area Yeti Ski (pictured) in Anderlecht.

"On the eighth floor of a building in Molenbeek, we had to secure several large insulation panels," said Abbad. "The loose sheets of metal were about to fly away; it was quite risky."

Fortunately, injuries were minimal in Brussels, with the ambulance sent out only one time to treat a woman in Saint-Gilles whose head was injured by a falling brick. Police said her condition was not life-threatening.

Several tram routes were limited where the route passed through wooded areas, and replaced with shuttle buses. On the railways, there were several cases of trains being held up by fallen branches and other obstacles carried by the wind. The line between Tielt and Deinze was particularly affected, as was traffic between Brussels and the coast, a problem that continued into Monday morning’s commute.

The nature and woodland agency advised local authorities to close access to parks and forests because of the danger of falling branches and trees. In Antwerp, parks and cemeteries were closed, while the Bois de la Cambre in Brussels was closed to traffic. Parks in the Brussels region were also closed, as was Citadelpark in Ghent.

In Antwerp, an American tourist was seriously injured when scaffolding collapsed as she was walking on the Groenplaats in the city centre. In Borsbeek, Antwerp province, a 17-year-old scout was hit by a falling tree.

In Opwijk, Flemish Brabant, a falling tree hit an electrical cable, causing sparks. In Ostend, police closed part of a main road, fearing the high winds could affect two construction cranes. Emergency services everywhere were under pressure and asked the public to use the emergency number 112 only for emergencies where lives were in danger.