BRUSSELS, May 25 (Reuters) – A fire at a textile warehouse in a town southwest of Brussels that prompted the evacuation of several streets on Monday was almost put out early in the evening and the toxic smoke plume is set to fade during the night, the town hall said on its website.
People living near the blaze were evacuated Monday afternoon due to a significant risk of canisters stored nearby exploding, the mayor of Tubize Samuel D’Orazio said in a radio interview.
Other residents were told to stay home with their windows and doors closed, the town’s council said on its website, to avoid exposure to toxic fumes, which contain asbestos among other substances.
The town hall opened its sports hall to lodge the people who were evacuated.
Monday is a holiday in Belgium and schools and day care centres will remain closed on Tuesday in the town due to the blaze.
Belgium’s crisis centre extended the alert to keep doors and windows closed to those living in a broad area south and west of Brussels as the toxic fumes spread.
(Reporting by Inti Landauro; Editing by David Holmes, Rod Nickel and Nick Zieminski)
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