Thunderstorms mainly cause damage in the province of Antwerp: lightning strike at port company and shed collapsed in Brecht | Region

Saturday evening’s storm caused some work for the fire brigade in Antwerp. The heaviest damage was recorded in Brecht, where a 110-year-old barn collapsed.

Around 10:30 p.m., a strong gust of wind caused damage in Sint-Lenaarts. Near Felix Pacquéelaan, a barn next to a farm collapsed. There were no injuries. Fire brigade Zone Rand secured the area.

According to the affected family, the barn is no less than 110 years old. None of the residents were near the barn when it happened. You have to wait for an insurance expert to measure the damage. The street has been cleared for traffic again.

The storm also knocked down four trees in the area, one of which was more than 100 years old. He was completely uprooted. Some local residents also saw trees in their yards uprooted. Striking: across the street, the patio furniture was still in place.

The Antwerp Fire Department Zone also received around sixty calls for flooding. This mainly concerned flooded cellars and streets. One of the calls came from the port, where a lightning strike was reported at the Air Liquide company. A fire broke out near a hydrogen tank, but the fire extinguished itself. The Antwerp fire brigade carried out an inspection afterwards.

According to weatherman David Dehenauw, the damage in Brecht appears to have been caused by a downwind rather than a tornado. A downdraft is a wind that blows from above, hits the ground and then spreads in several directions, without any rotation involved. “Based on Dutch and German radar images, we see few indications of a supercell, but rather linear patterns that are typical of a downwind. Although this is never 100 percent certain based on radar images alone.”