A bar in the Ostend bar street was completely gutted by fire yesterday afternoon in broad daylight. The Truth, an establishment in the Langestraat that is mainly frequented at night, appears to have been the target of an arson attack.
Fortunately nobody was hurt, but the adjoining premises, the bar The Hemingway was also damaged. Pictures on social media revealed the scale of the blaze as fire-fighters struggled to gain control of the situation while Sunday crowds looked on.
Mayor Tommelein (liberal) told VRT that CCTV pictures show that this was an act of arson: “On the pictures you see the suspected culprit arrive. He does something on the bar terrace outside that doesn’t look right. Seconds later a blaze erupts”.
Prosecutors are investigating the case.
