BRUSSELS, May 25 – Officials forced residents to leave their homes Monday after a textile warehouse caught fire in Turbize, Belgium, creating what the local mayor described as a substantial explosion threat from gas canisters stored in the facility.
The town council instructed other residents throughout Turbize to remain indoors with all windows and doors shut tight because of dangerous smoke from the blaze, according to information posted on the municipality’s website.
“Right now, we are evacuating everybody in the street, as there is a significant risk of explosion for the nearby houses because of the gas canisters inside the building,” mayor Samuel d’Orazio told local radio station RTBF.
The mayor explained that officials were conducting tests to determine the toxicity levels of the dense black smoke rising from the fire.
The safety warning to secure homes extended throughout a wide region west of Brussels as dangerous fumes continued spreading across the surrounding area.
