At least six people have died, and many more were hurt in a fire that tore through an apartment block in the Belgian city of Antwerp.

The blaze broke out on the eighth floor of the building, where more than 200 people live, in the city’s Linkeroever neighbourhood.

Images from the scene showed smoke billowing out as the local fire department tried to evacuate residents from the 10-story building. 

Dramatic footage from the scene showed one man on an upper floor enveloped in smoke and hanging over a balcony in an effort to get fresh air, before making his way to a nearby window.

Firefighters were battling the fire in difficult conditions due to its size and intensity, police said. 

Several teams of first responders are at the site, including a specialised drone unit.  

‘We ask local residents affected by the smoke to close windows and doors and, if necessary, switch off ventilation,’ police said. 

Police confirmed that there had been at least six fatalities, but the number is expected to rise as emergency services continue to look for victims. 

This video grab shows a resident climbing through a window and hanging over a balcony as thick plumes of smoke surround him

In this video grab, a resident tries to make his way towards a man who stands on the ledge of an open window

Several were killed in the city of Antwerp after a fire broke out in an apartment building. Pictured: Firefighters pictured at the scene of a fire in an apartment building in the August Vermeylenlaan street in Antwerp on Wednesday 01 July 2026

Spokesperson Kim Bastiaens told local media: ‘There are also many seriously and lightly injured.

‘The fire department is still searching for other potential victims, but it is difficult to estimate how many people were at home when the fire broke out.’

The deadly blaze is believed to have been caused by a technical problem on the building’s ground floor, according to the Antwerp fire department. 

According to one resident, who spoke to local media, work was being carried out on the building’s main fusebox. 

The public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into the incident. 

Firefighters were still checking the building’s top floors on Wednesday afternoon for additional casualties. 

The fire was not completely under control, but the fire department said it had been ‘contained.’ 

Evacuated residents have been put in temporary accommodation, spokesperson for the Antwerp fire brigade Marie De Clerq confirmed. 

The building is home to more than 200 people

Firefighters pictured at the scene of a fire in an apartment building in the August Vermeylenlaan street in Antwerp on Wednesday 01 July 2026

The deadly blaze is believed to have been caused by a technical problem on the building’s ground floor

Evacuated residents have been put in temporary accommodation

She added that firefighters were ‘still fully engaged in extinguishing the fire and searching for other possible victims,’ adding that the building was still not under control on Wednesday afternoon. 

Resident Geert Dewulf, who lives on the 10th floor, told local outlet VRT News: ‘The electricity went out, three minutes later we got a fire alarm. By then, there was already smoke in the hallways.

‘We tried to get down on our own, but we couldn’t manage it anymore. We barricaded ourselves in our apartment and waited on the terrace. 

‘About 10 minutes later, the fire department came to rescue us from the terrace with their fire ladder,’ he added. 

Residents crowded around the building after being evacuated, with several unaware of where their family members were. 

One man, who lives on the 10th floor, told VRT News he was looking for his mother, who lives a few floors below him. 

”Who went to the hospital? Who are the victims? Is my mother among them or not?’, he said. 

‘I hope she walks up here any minute.’ 

The public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into the incident

The Linkoeroever neighbourhood in the eastern part of Antwerp is a large residential area dotted by high-rise apartment buildings

Rescuers evacuate a person at the site of a fire in an housing building in Antwerp, Belgium, July 1, 2026

In a post on social media, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, a former mayor of Antwerp, said his ‘thoughts are with the victims and the evacuated residents of the terrible fire on Linkeroever.’ 

‘My deep appreciation goes out to the emergency services who are striving to help the many affected people as quickly and safely as possible, and who are working hard to bring the fire under control,’ he said.

The Linkoeroever neighbourhood in the eastern part of Antwerp is a large residential area dotted by high-rise apartment buildings and bordering a major park where outdoor summer music concerts are held.

This is a breaking news story, more to follow.