Heavy fire in garage next to house in Kuurne: 70-year-old man loses life’s work

A heavy fire broke out in the garage and adjacent buildings of a house in Zweepstraat in Kuurne on Sunday evening. Flames quickly shot through the roof. The 70-year-old resident first tackled the flames himself with a fire extinguisher, and suffered minor burns. Emergency services rushed to the scene to assist the man. Panic broke out for a moment, because the victim’s wife was still in the house.

The residents of the adjacent houses were asked to leave their homes. The fire was extinguished about two hours later, and they were allowed to re-enter their homes. The victims’ homes were also not damaged. The 70-year-old man, his wife and child were unharmed.

“Victim has lost life’s work”

The victim was an avid collector of small cars and vintage cars. The garage contained a Mini Cooper and a quad, which have now been completely destroyed by the fire. “The man has lost his life’s work,” said Francis Benoit, mayor of Kuurne.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, although it is certainly not lit, says Benoit. “The fire started purely by accident. The victim had just refueled with the quad, the fuel may have caused the fire to spread so much.”

The fire created a difficult traffic situation along Brugsesteenweg. Between the point with the new Rijksweg in Hulste and the Roeselaarsestraat in Lendelede, traffic was very difficult for a while. That situation has now been completely resolved.