Six bodies recovered from elevator shaft after fire engulfs Brussels renovation site OXY Tower

The fire and immediate response

A fire broke out on the morning of Tuesday, 14 July, on the second floor of the OXY Tower at Place de Brouckère in central Brussels. The building is undergoing a comprehensive renovation. Approximately 200 workers were on site when the blaze started, according to Belgian public broadcaster VRT. Firefighters brought the flames on the second floor under control relatively quickly, but the fire had already spread into the elevator shaft, blocking two cabins and trapping workers inside.

We had limited access to one of the two elevator cabins and there we noticed the bodies of two or three people who died.

Rescue teams recovered six bodies from the elevator shaft, prosecutors later confirmed. Two people with burns were transported to hospital, and one firefighter suffered heatstroke and was treated at the scene.

Victims and the search operation

Brecht Speybrouck, spokesperson for the Brussels Labour Prosecutor's Office, told Belga news agency that six people remain unaccounted for and that authorities have been unable to establish contact with them. The bodies found in the shaft are linked to those missing individuals, though officials initially cautioned that more victims could be located in a second elevator or other parts of the building.

We do not yet know exactly how many people were there.

The search operation has been complicated by large amounts of debris and difficult conditions inside the structure. Firefighters evacuated surviving workers to a canteen in the Brussels administrative centre, where they received support, according to fire brigade spokesperson Walter Derieuw.

Cause and investigation

The exact cause of the fire has not yet been determined. The blaze originated on the second floor before spreading rapidly into the elevator shaft. The shaft acted as a chimney, carrying flames and smoke upward and cutting off escape for those inside the two blocked elevators. Prosecutors are gathering evidence to reconstruct the sequence of events.

Official reaction

Prime Minister Bart De Wever and King Philippe of Belgium visited the site on Tuesday afternoon, meeting with emergency service commanders to receive briefings on the firefighting operation and the ongoing search effort. Brussels mayor Philippe Close thanked rescue services for their work in exceptionally difficult conditions.

The building

OXY Tower is located approximately 500 metres from the Grand-Place in the heart of Brussels. Once the renovation is complete, the multi-purpose complex is planned to house luxury apartments, restaurants, a hotel, and a rooftop bar. The site remains closed to the public.