Sibelga temporarily seals gas leak on Brussels' Willebroeck quay, cordon lifted overnight

A strong gas smell closes the quay

A strong smell of gas was reported on the Quai de Willebroeck in Brussels on Monday, 26 October, and the call reached the fire service at around 13:00. Firefighters, police and the network operator Sibelga were sent to the scene, and the quay was closed to traffic in the early afternoon. The nearby construction site of the Kanal museum was evacuated, and David Salomonowicz, spokesman for Kanal, said about 250 workers were on the site that day and had to stop work temporarily. At around 13:50 the fire brigade said the source of the smell had not yet been identified, and it was still unclear whether a gas leak was involved at all.

Evacuations and the search for the source

Three more buildings were evacuated on Monday evening, 26 October. Fire brigade spokesman Walter Derieuw said three people were being looked after at a reception centre with places for the 16 people who live in the affected buildings, and some of those residents were still on their way back from work. Sibelga teams carried out deep soundings to find the origin of the smell, while police and firefighters set up a safety perimeter. In its first statements, Sibelga set out what it could not yet confirm:

“We cannot yet determine whether a gas pipe is involved, nor whether it is a low or medium pressure pipe.”

The teams kept working with the emergency services while the investigation continued.

Leak sealed and cordon lifted overnight

Sibelga's teams located the leak on a medium-pressure gas pipe at about 20:00 on Monday, 26 October. The leak was then provisionally sealed, and shortly after midnight Sibelga said the situation was under control. The utility described the pipe as temporarily plugged, not repaired. A Sibelga technician stayed on site overnight as a precaution to monitor the situation. The safety perimeter on the quay was lifted during the night from Monday to Tuesday, 27 October.

Repairs ahead and who is involved

Sibelga said its intervention would resume on Tuesday morning, 27 October, to widen the excavation and carry out the definitive repair of the pipe. The operator added that the work would continue for as long as needed to investigate safely. At the start of the response the fire brigade said the Kanal site workers had been evacuated, and the work on the site was stopped temporarily. Walter Derieuw of the Brussels fire brigade and David Salomonowicz of Kanal gave the main public updates on the scene. Police, firefighters and Sibelga staff were all present on the quay from the afternoon of Monday, 26 October, through the night.