A devastating fire in Antwerp has claimed five lives, with British investigators now assisting Belgian authorities in a probe that has shifted towards suspected arson. The blaze tore through a residential block in the port city’s working-class district early on Tuesday morning, trapping families as they slept. Witnesses described scenes of panic as flames engulfed the building, with firefighters battling for hours to bring the inferno under control.
Among the dead are two children, aged four and seven, and three adults. Four others remain in hospital with serious injuries, including burns and smoke inhalation. The victims, all residents of the building, are believed to be from low-income households, many employed in Antwerp’s docks and service industries. For a community already grappling with rising rents and stagnating wages, this tragedy strikes at the heart of everyday struggles.
Belgian federal police have classified the investigation as a potential arson attack, with a focus on a motive linked to a long-standing dispute between neighbours. “We are treating this as suspicious,” said lead investigator Thomas Van den Berg. “The speed and intensity of the fire suggest accelerants were used.” The Metropolitan Police’s Fire Investigation Unit has been deployed under a mutual aid agreement, bringing expertise from recent high-profile cases in London.
Trade unions in Belgium have called for an urgent review of fire safety standards in older housing stock, which often lacks sprinklers and adequate escape routes. “This is a tragedy of inequality,” said Marieke Jansen of the Belgian General Federation of Labour. “The poor die in fires because they cannot afford safer homes. The rich have smoke alarms and fire doors. It is a scandal that must end.”
Local resident Fatima Alami, who lost her brother and his family, spoke of the community’s shock. “He worked double shifts at the warehouse to make ends meet. Now he is gone. And for what? A petty argument? This cannot be.” Her words echo a sentiment familiar to those in Britain’s own blighted tower blocks, where Grenfell remains a scar on the national conscience.
British investigators will focus on forensic analysis of the fire’s origin and patterns, using techniques refined after the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire, which killed 72 people. The parallels are stark: both incidents highlight the vulnerability of marginalised communities living in substandard conditions. In Antwerp, as in London, the question of who pays for safety is never far from the surface.
The Belgian government has pledged support for the bereaved and a thorough inquiry. But for those who live in the shadow of poverty, promises ring hollow without action on housing, wages, and the protection of lives in every corner of society. As the flames die down, the real work begins: to ensure that no more are lost to preventable fires, and that justice is not reserved for the wealthy.
