One person has died and three people have been critically injured in a fire at a block of flats in Liège. In addition to the three people that were critically injured, a further 12 people were also taken to hospital in a less serious condition. 132 residents of the Kennedy Tower in the centre of Liège were given shelter on Monday night as they were unable to return to their homes or stay with family or friends.
One person dies and three others are critically injured in Liège tower block fire
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By Monday night the fire was under control. The fire started on Monday morning in a room on the second basement floor of the building that is used to house technical equipment. The smoke spread through the 28-story building through shafts. As there was a fire the building’s lifts were deactivated and some residents that were unable to reach the stairs sought sanctuary from the on the balconies of their homes.
Around 70 firefighters and 100 police officers attended the scene. The police used drones in order to communicate with the residents stranded on the upper floors of the tower block. The Antwerp Fire Service assisted the Liège Fire Service by providing a 50-metre lift. The Defence Department also provided a helicopter as did the Luxembourg authorities.
3 people seriously injured
14 people were taken to hospital, 3 of whom in a serious condition. Residents of the flats are requested to go with the key to their flat to the reception centre that has been set up to provide shelter for those evacuated from the Kennedy Tower.
252 people live in the 28-story building. Not all of them were at home when the fire broke out. 132 residents that were unable to find a bed for the night with family or friends were put up in a reception centre.