State funeral set for Brussels firefighter Olivier Francotte after Treurenberg explosion

Updated 23 August 2026 at 16:00 CEST — Brussels will hold a state funeral for Sergeant-Major Olivier Francotte at the Basilica of Koekelberg on Monday, 24 August, at 11:00, according to an announcement from Brussels Minister-President Boris Dilliès reported by BX1 and BRUZZ. Francotte died on 14 August while responding to a gas leak and explosions at Treurenberg in central Brussels.

Francotte served with the 21st company of the Brussels Fire Brigade, the service told BX1 after his death. The brigade said his loss had deeply affected his colleagues and extended its thoughts to his family and loved ones. King Philippe subsequently telephoned brigade chief Colonel Tanguy du Bus de Warnaffe to offer condolences, according to the fire service account reported by The Brussels Times.

The emergency began after a contractor accidentally damaged a low-pressure gas pipe during work inside a building occupied by the EU’s Single Resolution Board, according to BRUZZ and BX1. Firefighters and technicians from Brussels energy-network operator Sibelga attended the leak before two explosions occurred at about 13:30, BX1 reported.

Francotte was killed and another firefighter and two Sibelga employees were seriously injured. Dilliès said on 18 August that none of the three injured people remained in life-threatening condition, according to BX1 and BRUZZ. The building was evacuated, while the security perimeter temporarily disrupted tram services in central Brussels, BRUZZ reported.

The precise sequence that ignited the accumulated gas has not been established publicly. The Brussels labour prosecutor’s office appointed a fire-and-explosion expert, who completed examinations inside the building and recorded findings described by the office as useful to the investigation, according to BRUZZ. Investigators have requested additional information from contractors and other parties before the expert completes a report. BRUZZ reported that the initial deadline for that work is two months, subject to the case’s complexity.

The ceremony gives national recognition to a firefighter who died in public service and brings Brussels’ emergency-service community together after a rare fatal incident. BRUZZ noted that the brigade’s previous death during an intervention occurred in March 2022, when firefighter Jean-François Spelmans was killed during a fire at the former Sheraton hotel.

The funeral will now become the immediate focus for Francotte’s family, colleagues and public authorities. The investigation will continue separately, with responsibility for the explosions and their exact technical cause still undetermined.