Antwerp fire: At least five killed and many injured after blaze breaks out in high-rise unit block

At least five people have been killed and many more injured in a fire ravaging a 10-storey apartment block in the Belgian city of Antwerp where firefighter rescue efforts were hampered by smoke and poor visibility.

The blaze broke out on the eighth floor of the building, where more than 200 people live, in the city’s Linkeroever neighbourhood and lots of smoke was billowing out, Antwerp police said in a statement.

“Right now, unfortunately, at least five people have died in the fire. There are also a significant number of seriously injured people, as well as a number of lightly injured,” Antwerp police spokesperson Kim Bastiaens told Belgian private broadcaster VTM.

Footage also emerged of people who appeared to be trapped on window ledges and balconies as plumes of smoke billowed from inside the block.

An evacuation of the building was underway. Local residents were warned to keep their windows and doors closed and, if needed, to turn off any ventilators due to the amount of smoke in the air.

Firefighters were battling the blaze in difficult conditions due to its size and intensity, police said. Several teams of first responders and police are at the site, including a specialised drone unit.

One apartment resident Geert Dewulf said he had been trapped inside his flat by the thick smoke.

“We barricaded ourselves into our flat and waited on the balcony,” he told Belgian public television.

“The fire brigade came to rescue us from the balcony 10 minutes or so later with their ladder.”

The BBC reported that former mayor of Antwerp Bob Cools was among the residents who had been evacuated from the building, citing comments from Mr Cools’ son-in-law.

“We tried our utmost to save the cat but unfortunately in the end we were unable to,” he said.

An Associated Press photographer at the scene said that the smoke died down by early afternoon, but that many first responders were still there.

While the cause of the fire is still yet to be determined, local media is reporting that work was being done on the roof of the building.

Fire authorities have said that the thick smoke and poor visibility was continuing to hamper rescue efforts.

In a post on social media, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, a former mayor of Antwerp, said his “thoughts are with the victims and the evacuated residents of the terrible fire on Linkeroever.”

“My deep appreciation goes out to the emergency services who are striving to help the many affected people as quickly and safely as possible, and who are working hard to bring the fire under control,” he said.

The Linkoeroever neighbourhood in the eastern part of Antwerp is a large residential area dotted by high-rise apartment buildings and bordering a major park where outdoor summer music concerts are held.

with AAP