Six workers killed in Brussels lift shaft fire during building renovation
Story Timeline
15 hours · 2 summary articles
Six workers killed in Brussels lift shaft fire during building renovation
Five dead, one missing as fire traps workers in Brussels renovation tower
Continuation
Six people were found dead inside a lift shaft at a building under construction in central Brussels on Tuesday after a fire broke out at the site, according to local authorities.
The victims were discovered inside a lift that had become trapped in the shaft at the Oxy tower, where firefighters carried out an operation. The fire broke out during renovation work in the building, which is located near the De Brouckère square in the center of Brussels.
This is described as the worst workplace accident in Brussels in 20 years. The victims were workers who were trapped in the lift shaft when the fire spread. The victims were of Belgian or Romanian nationality.
The fire broke out on the second floor of the Oxy tower and quickly spread to the lift shafts. The intensity of the fire made the rescue operation challenging for firefighters. The victims were found inside one of the elevators on the second floor.
In a separate incident, 13 people died in a wildfire in southern Spain. Twelve of the victims were foreign nationals, including seven Britons, three Belgians, one French, and one American. The fire started last Thursday in the Andalusia region and was caused by an electrical cable falling on a road. The fire devastated about 7,000 hectares of land, and the victims were identified using DNA samples because the bodies were badly burned.
The fire in Spain started in the picturesque south-eastern province of Almería, which is home to many foreign residents near the Mediterranean coast. Flames fanned by high winds ripped through forests and scrubland made tinderbox dry by extreme high temperatures.
Among the British nationals who died were Pete and Fran Gillam, who lived in Bédar, the village that bore the brunt of the wildfires. Their daughter Danielle Gillam-Kirton wrote on Facebook: “We are heartbroken to share that we have received confirmation from the police that Mum and Dad did not survive the fire. Thank you for all your love, support and prayers over the past few days. They have meant more to us than we can ever express.”
Burned-out cars litter the road leading out of Bédar, and the authorities confirmed that some victims died in their vehicles as they tried to flee. One British man died in his car while trying to rescue his pets, according to a friend of his wife. Penelope Howe, 54, said her friend’s husband died when flames engulfed his car during the evacuation of the Los Gallardos area of Almería province.
The fire in Spain was brought under control on Sunday, and residents have been able to return to their homes since then. The fire started on July 10 and was caused by an electrical cable falling on a road. The flames spread quickly, with a speed of about 100 meters per minute, and destroyed about 7,000 hectares of land.
The authorities have not ruled out that the death toll could rise, although no additional bodies were found during a search of the area. The victims included eight women and five men, all adults. One of the victims died in the hospital.
Spain has in recent years experienced increasingly long and frequent heatwaves, with temperatures often exceeding 40 degrees Celsius, creating ideal conditions for wildfires. In 2025, more than 393,000 hectares were destroyed by fire in Spain, the most in the country's recent history, according to the European Forest Fire Information System.
The fire in Spain started on July 10 in Los Gallardos, near the Mediterranean coast. The flames spread rapidly due to high winds and dry conditions, destroying forests and scrubland. The fire was brought under control on Sunday, and residents have been allowed to return to their homes.
The victims of the Spain fire were identified after postmortem examinations. The authorities confirmed that 12 of the 13 victims were foreign nationals, with only one Spanish citizen among the dead.
The exact cause of the fire in Brussels is still under investigation. The victims were identified as having Belgian or Romanian nationality. The fire is being investigated as the worst workplace accident in Brussels in 20 years.
Follow us for live European news
- 3
- 2
- 2
- 2
- 2
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
4 further sources not geolocated
Articles
Azonosították a múlt heti spanyol tűzvész 13 áldozatát A hatóságok nem zárják ki, hogy az áldozatok száma emelkedjen.
hvg.hu · about 3 hours ago
Maastopalot | Espanjan maastopalossa kuoli 12 ulkomaalaista Vain yksi Espanjan tuhoisassa maastopalossa kuolleista oli maan kansalainen.
helsingin sanomat · about 3 hours ago
Kolumbianisches Militär befreite 39 Zivilisten aus Gewalt von Guerilla-Gruppe Laut Angaben aus Armeekreisen waren die Menschen in einem Bus unterwegs, den die Guerilla-Gruppe ELN in ihre Gewalt brachte
der standard · about 3 hours ago
Death toll in Thai pub fire rises to 32, officials say, with dozens still in hospital reut.rs/3T3muo3
bluesky_Reuters · about 3 hours ago
Live - Twaalf van dertien slachtoffers bosbrand Spanje zijn buitenlanders • Dorpen geëvacueerd vanwege bosbrand in Duits nationaal park
de morgen · about 3 hours ago
Opfer im Aufzug eingeschlossen – Sechs Tote bei Brand in Brüsseler Bürogebäude Bei einem Brand auf einer Baustelle in einem Wohnhochhaus in der belgischen Hauptstadt Brüssel sind sechs Menschen ums Leben gekommen. Die Arbeiter seien in einem Fahrstuhl eingesperrt worden, als sich das Feuer im Fahrstuhlschacht ausbreitete.
welt.de · about 3 hours ago
Zes vermisten bij brand in OXY-gebouw hebben Belgische of Roemeense nationaliteit
de morgen · about 4 hours ago
Erdbeben in Venezuela: Zahl der Toten steigt auf mehr als 4700 Nach dem Doppel-Erdbeben in Venezuela steigt die Zahl der Toten weiter an. Zur Zahl der Vermissten machen die Behörden weiterhin keine Angaben.
tagesspiegel · about 4 hours ago
Incendie en Espagne: toutes les dépouilles identifiées, 12 étrangers parmi les 13 morts, dont 7 Britanniques Les 13 personnes tuées dans un incendie fulgurant jeudi soir en Andalousie, dans le sud de lEspagne, sont pour la plupart étrangères, avec sept Britanniques, trois Belges, une Française, une Américaine et un Espagnol, ont annoncé mardi soir les autorités après avoir terminé les autopsies. ...
la libre · about 4 hours ago
Seven Britons among 12 foreign nationals killed in Spains deadly wildfires
bluesky_The Guardian · about 4 hours ago
Brand i studentboende Sex till sjukhus
expressen · about 4 hours ago
Waldbrand in Andalusien: Zwölf Ausländer unter den Opfern Die spanischen Behörden haben nach dem verheerenden Waldbrand alle Todesopfer identifiziert. Von 13 Todesopfern handelt es sich bei zwölf um nicht-spanische Staatsbürger.
tagesspiegel · about 4 hours ago
Brandkatastrophe in Bangkok: Thailand prüft nach Pub-Feuer Regeln für Vergnügungsstätten Blockierte Notausgänge, fehlender Brandschutz: Nach dem Pub-Feuer mit 30 Toten in Bangkok soll es Konsequenzen geben. Im Fokus stehen nicht nur Gesetze, sondern auch das Verhalten der Clubbetreiber.
tagesspiegel · about 4 hours ago
Βενεζουέλα: Τουλάχιστον 4.734 οι νεκροί από τον σεισμό σύμφωνα με νεότερο απολογισμό
protothema · about 4 hours ago
Victimele incendiului devastator din Spania au fost identificate cu ajutorul testelor ADN 12 dintre cei 13 morți erau cetățeni străini Trupurile carbonizate descoperite după incendiul care a devastat sudul Spaniei au fost identificate cu ajutorul testelor ADN. Autoritățile au anunțat că 12 dintre cele 13 victime erau cetățeni străini, printre care șapte britanici.
adevarul · about 4 hours ago
Αναγνωρίστηκαν και τα 13 θύματα της φονικής φωτιάς στην Ισπανία: Όλοι εκτός από έναν ήταν αλλοδαποί
protothema · about 5 hours ago
Brand i studentboende – en allvarligt skadad En lägenhetsbrand i ett studentboende i Karlstad ledde till en större räddningsinsats på onsdagskvällen.
svenska dagbladet · about 5 hours ago
Hispaania maastikupõlengu ohvrid olid pea kõik välismaalased Lõuna-Hispaania Andaluusia piirkonda laastanud surmava maastikupõlengu 13 ohvrist 12 olid välisriikide kodanikud, teatasid võimud teisipäeval pärast lahkamistulemuste selgumist.
postimees · about 5 hours ago
Românii, a doua cea mai importantă categorie de contribuabili străini la sistemul de asigurări sociale din Spania Sistemul de asigurări sociale spaniol a înregistrat un număr record de contribuabili străini în iunie, cu o medie de 3,45 milioane de angajați, după ce a adăugat 86.630, anunță Ministerul Incluziunii, Securităţii Sociale şi Migraţiei. Românii reprezintă a doua cea mai importantă categorie de contribuabili străini, după marocani, relatează EFE, preluată de infobae.com.
digi24 · about 6 hours ago
mehrere Tote in Brüssel: „Ich habe noch nie so einen verheerenden Brand erlebt In einem Brüsseler Hochhaus ist am Dienstagmorgen während Renovierungsarbeiten ein Feuer ausgebrochen. Einsatzkräfte entdecken sechs tote Arbeiter in einem abgestürzten Aufzug.
faz · about 7 hours ago
Tragédia na stavbe v centre Bruselu. Požiar vo výťahovej šachte si vyžiadal najmenej šesť životov Tragédia v centre Bruselu si vyžiadala najmenej šesť obetí po požiari na rozsiahlom stavenisku. Tímy vyšetrovateľov mapujú zrútenie výťahu s robotníkmi.
aktuality.sk · about 7 hours ago
Six killed in Brussels lift shaft fire at construction site Six people were found dead inside a lift shaft at a building under construction in central Brussels on Tuesday after a fire broke out at the site, according to local authorities. The victims were discovered inside a lift that had become trapped in the shaft at the Oxy tower, where firefighters carried out an operation […]
cyprus mail · about 7 hours ago
Τραγωδία στις Βρυξέλλες: Ανασύρθηκαν 6 νεκροί εργάτες από τη φωτιά σε κτίριο - Είχαν εγκλωβιστεί σε ασανσέρ, δείτε βίντεο
protothema · about 7 hours ago
Primo piano ANSA - ANSA.it: Sei morti nel rogo del cantiere per la torre Oxy a BruxellesIl peggior incidente sul lavoro in 20 anni. Le vittime trovate in uno degli ascensoriYoure burning up in the fire of the Oxy Tower construction in Brussels.The worst workplace accident in 20 years. Victims found in one of the elevators.#theOxyTower #Brussels
mastodon bot · about 7 hours ago
Zes doden bij brand tijdens renovatie van Oxy-gebouw in het centrum van Brussel Tijdens werkzaamheden dinsdagochtend brak brand uit in een leegstaand woon- en werkgebouw in de Belgische hoofdstad. De brand leek onder controle te zijn gebracht, maar spreidde zich uit naar de liftschachten waar werklui bezig waren.
nrc · about 7 hours ago
Worker killed in furnace explosion fire at Indian recycling plant A furnace explosion triggered a fire at Jain Resource Recyclings plant in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
aljazeera · about 8 hours ago
Useita ihmisiä kuollut rakennustyömaalla Brysselissä
iltalehti · about 8 hours ago
Cel puțin șase persoane au murit într-un incendiu care s-a produs în clădirea OXY din centrul orașului Bruxelles Un incendiu de proporții a izbucnit în clădirea OXY, lângă Piața De Brouckère, în centrul orașului Bruxelles. Potrivit pompierilor, focul a izbucnit la etajul al doilea. Acesta a fost stins, dar flăcările s-au propagat într-o cabină de lift. Operațiunile de căutare, salvare și verificare continuă în clădire. Mai multe persoane și-au pierdut viața, iar altele sunt încă date dispărute, relatează 7sur7.be.
digi24 · about 8 hours ago