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Fire at Brussels OXY Renovation Leaves Multiple Dead and Six Missing

An elevator-shaft blaze trapping workers has prompted criminal and workplace-safety probes.

Emergency workers on site during a fire at a building complex in the center of Brussels, Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Marius Burgelman)
Emergency workers on site during a fire at a building complex in the center of Brussels, Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Marius Burgelman)
Emergency and forensic workers on site during a fire at a building complex in the center of Brussels, Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Marius Burgelman)
The Oxy Building complex in the center of Brussels, where a fire broke out on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Marius Burgelman)

Overview

  • Rescuers found charred bodies inside one elevator and continued efforts to reach a second, currently inaccessible shaft after the fire on Tuesday at the OXY renovation on Place de Brouckere.
  • About 200–250 workers were evacuated from the site and emergency teams used thermal cameras and sniffer dogs as the search stretched into the afternoon.
  • Two people were taken to hospital with severe burns and additional people including a firefighter received on-scene treatment.
  • Authorities have opened a criminal investigation and a labour-safety probe to determine the cause, check compliance with construction rules, and examine whether an elevator failure or other mechanical faults contributed.
  • Officials plan identification, forensic and structural assessments in the coming days, and families and evacuees have been offered psychosocial support as recovery operations continue.