It was just after six that the fire was noticed. Local residents were startled by several violent explosions, at which time flames several meters high could already be seen. No one was working at IMOG at the time, that would only happen at 7 o’clock. The fire started in the room next to the Small Hazardous Waste. The residents of Moen and Heestert were asked via BE-Alert to keep windows and doors closed and to switch off the ventilation in the car. “But no hazardous substances have been released,” said Mayor Marc Doutreluingne (Open Vld).
The fire also spread to other buildings, but the fire currently appears to be largely under control. “The smoke development should therefore decrease quickly,” says Doutreluingne.