A fire without much seriousness broke out Thursday evening in the center of Antwerp in a building adjoining the Boerentoren (the Tower of the Peasants), a monumental skyscraper built in the last century in the art-deco style, causing a high column of smoke visible in the sky of the Metropolis, but without causing any injuries, said the firefighters.
The disaster was under control less than an hour following it started.
It erupted for some unknown reason on the fourth floor of a building next to the Boerentoren – also known as the KBC Tower because it housed the offices of this bank. It is closed for years due to heavy renovation and sanitation.
The iconic building has belonged since 2020 to the wealthy businessman Fernand Huts and his group Katoen Natie.
Mr. Huts wants to turn it into a real “culture tower” following remediation – asbestos has been discovered there – with spaces for temporary and permanent exhibitions, art deposits, a restoration workshop, a sculpture garden , a cinema, an auditorium, panoramic rooms, a bookshop…
It was not known Thursday evening if work was underway in the building affected by the fire.
