Fire breaks out in a building on Schaerbeek's chaussée de Helmet, around thirty people evacuated
A fire broke out on 13 July 2026 in a building on the chaussée de Helmet in Schaerbeek, in the Brussels-Capital Region, forcing the evacuation of around thirty people, according to DHnet and Brussels broadcaster BX1. The cause of the blaze and any casualty figures were not confirmed in the initial reporting.
For residents of Schaerbeek and the wider Brussels-Capital Region, a fire large enough to displace around thirty people from a building on a main road raises immediate concerns about housing, safety of neighbouring properties and traffic on a heavily used axis. It is a local emergency affecting real households in a densely populated commune.
The incident is a building fire on the chaussée de Helmet, a major thoroughfare in Schaerbeek, one of the nineteen communes of the Brussels-Capital Region. BX1 is a Brussels-focused Francophone regional broadcaster; DHnet is the online arm of the Belgian daily La Dernière Heure. Both reported on 13 July 2026 that around thirty people were evacuated. Emergency response in Brussels falls to the region-wide fire and medical emergency service covering all nineteen communes.
Background
Schaerbeek is one of the most densely populated communes in the Brussels-Capital Region, with a large stock of older apartment buildings above ground-floor shops along axes such as the chaussée de Helmet. Fires in such mixed residential-commercial buildings are a recurring risk across inner Brussels, where the region's shared fire and emergency service responds across all nineteen communes.
Impact
Regional — The chaussée de Helmet is a dense residential and commercial artery in Schaerbeek; a fire and evacuation there directly affects residents, local businesses and traffic. Displaced residents may require temporary rehousing depending on the damage, though the first reports did not confirm the building's condition.
Sources & evidence
- View sourceBX1Primary· bx1.be· 13 July 2026Retrieved 14 July 2026· 2 days ago· Dated
- View sourceDHnet (La Dernière Heure)· dhnet.be· 13 July 2026Retrieved 14 July 2026· 2 days ago· Dated
