Brand at historic University of Antwerp city campus gradually under control: ‘This hurts’
View: severe fire at UAntwerp city campus
The heavy roof fire on the city campus of the University of Antwerp was gradually brought under control around 8 p.m. on Wednesday evening. That is what the Antwerp Fire Brigade Zone says. “Our teams are still extinguishing the fire, but the extinguishing works are decreasing,” it sounds. “Squads are still there all night.”
The day shifts of the Antwerp, Rand and Rivierenland fire zones have meanwhile been relieved on site by colleagues from the Taxandria, Kempen and Waasland zones. The area around the city campus will probably remain closed for a long time to give the emergency services plenty of space.
The brand certainly marks the top floor of building B of the city campus. There is minimal water damage on the floor below. The scale of the incident will probably be estimated at the earliest on Thursday. The adjacent library with numerous valuable documents would have been preserved, just like the centuries-old buildings around the affected (20th-century) building.
At the university itself reigns between records. “A brand in the heart of the city campus is of course important,” says Peter De Meyer. The affected building dates back to 1930, centuries longer than the rest of the campus. But the location is at the heart of the university. “If you have one image of the university, the most is that of the courtyard garden of the Hof van Liere where the brand is located,” it sounds. “Then this hurts.”
View more images of the heavy fire