A firefighter was killed and three people injured after two gas explosions ripped through a building near Brussels' Central Station on Thursday.
The deceased was identified as Sergeant-Major Olivier Francotte of the 21st company. A second firefighter and two Sibelga utility workers were also wounded in the blasts, which occurred inside the Single Resolution Board building on Treurenberg during a gas leak response. Around 100 people had been evacuated from the premises. Interior Minister Bernard Quintin acknowledged the incident on X, and Brussels public transport operator STIB rerouted tram and bus lines around the scene.
The Brussels labour inspectorate has opened a case, with an autopsy ordered and a forensic inspection of the building's interior scheduled for Saturday.