As per reports, emergency services responded to a fire incident involving a deep fryer appliance on the ground floor of a seven-story building located on Rue de France, in proximity to Brussels-Midi Railway Station, at approximately 1150 hours local time (1050 hours UTC) on Thursday (26 February).

• Reports indicate that as a precautionary safety measure, two seven-story office buildings located on Rue de France and Rue de l’Instruction were evacuated.
• The buildings reportedly house administrative and operational staff from key Belgian railway sector entities, including the National Railway Company of Belgium (SNCB/NMBS – Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Belges / Nationale Maatschappij der Belgische Spoorwegen), HR Rail (the legal employer of Belgian railway personnel), and Infrabel (Belgium’s national railway infrastructure management company).
• Reports as of 1400 hours local time (1300 hours UTC) indicate that the evacuation was implemented to mitigate risks associated with fire spread, smoke inhalation, and potential structural or operational hazards, and the fire was contained by emergency services, and no fatalities were reported.