"Leuven house complied with fire safety regulations"
The house is located on the corner of the Bankstraat and the Kapucijnenvoer in Leuven. The fire broke out early on Friday. 8 residents managed to escape, but 2 got killed by the flames.
The victims are 22 and 23 years old and both have the Irish nationality. One girl was born in Poland, the other victim in Latvia. "Their families were informed of the tragic news and will travel to Leuven today or tomorrow", Mark Vranckx of the police told the VRT yesterday. The two victims were doing a traineeship at the irish College.
The Irish ambassador to Belgium visited the site yesterday around noon, and met the 8 occupants that survived the disaster. They escaped the fire, but lost all their belongings. The 10 people that were living in the house, arrived in Belgium via the Institute for Ireland in Europe.
"No problem with fire safety regulations"
The house complied with all fire safety regulations, the Irish College reports. Apparently, the house was visited by fire safety insurance inspectors only two years ago. "They carried out a complete check. All safety precautions had been met. A fire alarm, fire extinguishers and a fire ladder were in place."
Louis Roppe of the Institute for Ireland told the VRT that the fire alarm went off yesterday. "Otherwise, there could have been more victims." He says that the fire ladder was also used.
It is not yet clear what started the fire. It could take a while before the exact cause has been determined, says Mark Vranckx, because it is difficult and dangerous to enter the premises. For the moment, the judicial authorities suspect that the fire was caused by accident. It is almost certain that it was not deliberately started.