Schaerbeek fire leads to slum landlord investigation

A fatal fire in Schaerbeek has led the public prosecutor to open an investigation into the building’s landlord concerning charges of manslaughter and letting substandard accommodation.

The fire that broke out during the night of 26 July on Chaussée de Haecht in Schaerbeek left two people dead and eight injured, two of whom are in a critical condition.

“It was utter chaos,” one neighbour told Bruzz.

“The entire street was packed with at least 15 ambulances, fire engines and police cars. Smoke was billowing from the roof, but the fire was mainly at the back of the building.

"People were trying to escape on to the roof, and down there in the corner of the street, the fire brigade laid out the covered bodies of the victims."

Ali Samousa, one of the affected residents, said it was difficult to leave the burning building.

“We do indeed live very close together there,” he said. “There are about 20 families. There was only one exit through which we could get out.”

Martin de Brabant (MR), acting mayor of Schaarbeek, said surviving residents found accommodation with friends or family or were accommodated in the town hall or a hotel.

“For the time being, the building has not yet been declared safe, and we are unable to ascertain whether the homes are still habitable or not,” De Brabant said.

A fire expert and forensic pathologist have been appointed and the federal judicial police laboratory has also been called in. The exact cause and circumstances of the fire have not yet been established and are the subject of an investigation.

The public prosecutor’s office stated that it would not release any further information in the interests of the investigation and out of respect for the victims’ families, but the case comes as no surprise to neighbours.

The affected block consists of several flats accessible via a communal entrance and multiple stairwells. The fire raged in the communal areas of the furthest stairwell.

The owner of the entire block is said to be a man who also owns other properties on the street.

“A hundred people live there, crammed together,” one neighbour told Bruzz.

“They’re Syrians, Somalis, Romanians. It was absolutely not safe there.”

Figures from the Brussels Regional Housing Administration show that slum landlord practices in Brussels are a persistent problem. A slum landlord exploits vulnerable people by renting them accommodation that does not meet standards.

In recent years, the number of complaints about substandard housing has risen steadily from about 500 in 2020 to a peak of 854 complaints in 2024. Last year, however, the figure fell to 609.

An immediate ban on letting was imposed on 131 occasions last year, and 449 landlords received a notice of default.

Recent figures by municipality are not yet available, but in 2019, Schaerbeek recorded the highest number of complaints regarding housing quality.