One person dies after night-time fire at De Kloek site in Grobbendonk

Updated 17 August 2026 — A night-time fire at the De Kloek site in Grobbendonk, Antwerp province, has killed one person, Het Nieuwsblad reported on Monday. The newspaper placed the blaze at the De Kloek recreational site on the Liersesteenweg but did not provide an independently accessible official statement confirming the victim’s identity or the precise time of the incident.

Witnesses told Het Nieuwsblad that they heard a kind of crackling noise during the fire, which they compared with shots being fired. That account describes what neighbours heard; it does not establish the cause of the noise or indicate that firearms were involved. No such conclusion has been announced by police, prosecutors or the fire service.

Emergency crews attended the scene, according to the newspaper’s report. The number of other people present, whether anyone else was injured and how the fire developed remain unclear. Authorities have also not publicly attributed the blaze to an accident, a technical defect or deliberate action.

De Kloek’s own website identifies the property at Liersesteenweg 92A as a family-oriented indoor and outdoor playground. Regional broadcaster RTV has previously described a camping area behind the playground, including after a separate chalet fire there in April 2019. RTV reported that the earlier blaze destroyed an unoccupied chalet without causing injuries. That incident has no established connection with the fatal fire now being reported.

The distinction between the playground and the surrounding accommodation matters for families and local residents seeking practical information. Available reporting does not yet establish which structure burned or whether the public playground itself was affected. De Kloek had not posted an incident notice on the accessible version of its website when this article was prepared.

The next authoritative update is expected to clarify the victim’s identity after relatives are informed, the exact location of the fire and whether a fire expert will examine its origin. Until police, the Antwerp public prosecutor’s office or Brandweer Zone Kempen publishes those details, claims about how the blaze started should be treated as unverified.