Ten people, including seven children, were trapped in the fire at their home in the Saint-Josse-ten-Noode municipality in Brussels on Friday night.
All of the victims were taken to hospital, but none of them have a vital prognosis, Brussels firefighters said on Saturday.
The fire broke out around 10 p.m. in the kitchen of an apartment on the third floor of a five-storey building on rue de l’Artichaut in Saint-Josse.
Upon arrival, the firefighters evacuated two families with a total of seven people using a ladder. Three other people were taken to safety through the stairwell of the building.
The fire brigade quickly brought the fire under control. However, the flames made two houses uninhabitable, at least temporarily. Six residents were cared for by the municipality of Saint-Josse-ten-Noode.
“Ten people, including seven children, were caught in the smoke and taken to the hospital for treatment,” said fire department spokesman Walter Derieuw. “The premises were ventilated while the presence of carbon monoxide was checked, after which the other residents were allowed to return to their homes. However, the electricity in the building was cut off,” he said.