In the early hours of Tuesday morning, a fire broke out in an apartment block in Bertrange, spreading from the seventh floor through the plexiglass to the balconies of the flats below.
The cause of the fire is still unknown, but the incident has only caused material damage, according to the mayor of Bertrange, Youri De Smet. "What was extremely important was that no one had been hurt or injured, which was almost a miracle", he said. As for everything else, he added, the material damage, that would be repaired step by step. He was relieved that the damage had not gone beyond the material.
A miracle, indeed, given that the fire broke out in the middle of the night. Residents were pulled out of their sleep, De Smet said. Among them were children, who then had to be dressed quickly because there had not even been time to put on their shoes.
Only the flats on the right-hand side of the residence were affected. The other residents in the building were evacuated for a while, but were later able to return to their homes.
Those affected were taken to the Atert Centre in Bertrange, with some of the children brought to a Maison Relais so that they could recover from the shock alongside other children. The following day, those who could not stay with family or friends were put up in a hotel room until they could go back to their homes.
Every flat was inspected by an expert. The flat where the fire broke out is really in a poor state, De Smet explained, and the one directly below is also considerably damaged. The remaining flats are essentially in order, though the smell lingers and they still need thorough airing. The damage there is minimal, mostly to the balconies, which have taken a hit, and work is due to start on those in the coming weeks.
