Brussels launches major search-and-rescue operation after fire in Oxy building, with people feared trapped in lifts

The report concerns a fire in the Oxy building in Brussels and the large search-and-rescue operation that followed. The named entities are the Oxy building (the site of the fire), the Brussels fire brigade (SIAMU/DBDMH, the region's emergency service that would lead such an operation), and De Morgen, the Flemish daily whose breaking-news feed first surfaced the account. The core concern reported is that people may remain trapped in the building's lifts, which can be immobilised and cut off from power during a fire. As of writing, the number of people affected, injuries, the exact address and the cause are not independently confirmed.

Fires in occupied buildings carry a well-known secondary danger: lifts. When a blaze cuts power, elevator cars can stop between floors and trap occupants, which is why fire services treat lifts as a priority during search-and-rescue. Urban fire responses in Brussels are handled by the regional fire brigade, which mobilises search-and-rescue teams when it cannot yet confirm that a building is clear of people.