Region
Beringen
Fatal fire in Beringen: Judicial Authorities suspect “human intervention”
On Monday a several fire expects visited the building in the Limburg municipality of Beringen that was gutted by fire on Sunday morning. The fire claimed the lives of two fire-fighters, while a third fireman suffered serious burns and is now been treated at the specialist burns united at the Military Hospital in the Brussels district of Neder-Over-Heembeek. His condition is no longer life-threatening. Three other fire-fighters were taken to hospital in Heusden-Zolder (Limburg) suffering from smoke inhalation.
The investigators’ initial conclusions point to the fire not having been caused by a technical fault. The Judicial Authorities suspect that someone started the fire, either deliberately or by accident.
Officers from the Federal Police forensic lab, a fire expert, a source of fire detection dog and an expert equipped with 3D scanning equipment visited the gutted building on Monday afternoon. Pieter Strauven of the Limburg Judicial Authorities told VRT News that “This could only be done this afternoon as extinguishing work was still being carried out yesterday and there was still a safety risk”.
The initial findings of the investigation into the fire point to it not having been caused by a technical fault. As thing stand those investigating the fire believe that someone started it. However, it is not yet clear whether it was started accidently or deliberately. "All avenues are being explored, also that of whether it was arson”, Mr Strauven added.