Fire in the University of Antwerp building is extinguished, part of the roof has collapsed. “Entire top floor has been destroyed” | Instagram VTM NEWS

“The fire started in the historic courtyard garden Hof van Liere, in the part of the building where mainly offices are located,” said University of Antwerp spokesman Peter De Meyer. “It is a historic building that requires special work to replace the roof tiles and something went wrong during that work, causing a fire.”

The fire has now been extinguished, but the damage is extensive, the fire service says. Check it out here:

Dozens of men and fire trucks from various fire departments came out to get the fire under control. The wing that was on fire is adjacent to the library. The antique collections of that library were in danger, and were taken to safety as quickly as possible. But for their own safety, the firefighters were soon banned from entering the library to save the remaining material. Putting it out, and hoping that was enough, was all that was left.

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The fire caused a huge plume of smoke, which was visible and noticeable in large parts of the inner city. The fire brigade asked everyone to stay out of the smoke and to close windows and doors in case of hindrance. People living within the perimeter were asked by firefighters to stay indoors. Once they were out of the perimeter, they couldn’t re-enter it. For a while it was feared that asbestos had been released, but it soon became clear that this was not the case.

Painters Ray and Kailey from Schilderwerken Mertens in Wuustwezel saw everything happen. They were painting the exterior dormer window when the fire broke out. “In just two minutes the roof was on fire at the height of the roofing works. It concerns the gabled roof on the inner courtyard of the building. The roofers tried to extinguish the fire themselves.” At first the painters thought it was an exercise. “Everyone quietly walked away, no one said anything and no one looked up.”

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Rector Herman Van Goethem arrived on site during the afternoon and responded to the events: “The roof of the north wing is completely on fire. Meanwhile, the fire subsides. The fire brigade is trying to limit the fire to that wing to protect the west wing with the galleries and the library.”

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“The part of the building where the fire raged has great historical value,” said spokesman De Meyer. “The oldest part of the building dates from the seventeenth century. Together with the inner garden, it forms part of the iconic image of the University of Antwerp. On a human level we have been lucky. Because the exams are over, there are no more students on campus and only a few people were working. People who were at work could be evacuated peacefully. We will have to think about the practical and financial side of the fire later. The priority today was getting everyone to safety and limiting the damage.”

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The fire brigade announced at 8.10 pm that the fire is almost under control and the extinguishing works are diminishing. Nevertheless, teams remained present all night: “In the meantime, all day shifts have been relieved and we are receiving reinforcements from the Waasland emergency assistance zone, the Kempen fire brigade zone and the Taxandria fire department”, says spokeswoman Marie De Clercq of the Antwerp Fire Brigade zone. Prinsstraat will remain closed for a long time.” There was one victim, a roofer who was taken to hospital with burns.

Peter De Meyer reacted cautiously positive on Wednesday evening: “We are happy that the fire is gradually under control and even more happy that there were no casualties. The library has been spared, but now it is important to measure the exact extent of the damage. The affected floors mainly house staff offices. They are hopelessly lost. As for the works of art hanging there, we still have no idea what has been saved and what has not. Hopefully we will have more news about that tomorrow.”

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In the meantime, a ‘return moment’ for people who left belongings in the building during the evacuation was also organized. Pierre Van Damme’s summer school, which was to take place on Thursday at Hof van Liere, has been moved to another university campus. Tonight, the fire brigade will meet again with the police to evaluate whether or not staff and students will be allowed to re-enter ‘the heart of the university’ on Thursday.

Staff and students were notified around 10 p.m. that the streets around the campus in question have been cleared and traffic is back to normal. However, two thirds of the campus will not be accessible tomorrow: “The law faculty will be, as will the small courtyard garden of the Hof van Liere. As for the library, we won’t know until tomorrow whether it will be accessible. Additional consultations need to be held about this,” said De Meyer.

Mayor Bart De Wever (N-VA) reacts upset to the fire: “It is catastrophic. An entire wing of the Hof van Lierde has been lost. Fortunately it is not the oldest part. The part that is on fire dates from 1929. Fortunately there are no laboratories, preciosa or library in it. If the wind had blown in the other direction, the damage would have been even worse, as the flames would have spread to the old part.”

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“It is also emotional for me. I studied here as a historian, so I almost saw my own classroom on fire,” says Bart De Wever. “It hurts me a lot, because it is a building that is close to my heart, just like many Antwerp residents. At the risk of their own lives, some firefighters have made a hole in the roof so that they can also spray the water inside. We are lucky that the books in the library have been spared.”

Watch: Bart De Wever on the fire at the University of Antwerp.

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