Ghent port fire: Firefighters battle large blaze, smoke drifts towards residential areas

Firefighters are engaged in a significant battle against a blaze that erupted in a pile of scrap metal waste at the port of Ghent. The fire, which broke out on Tuesday, is not yet under control, and a large plume of smoke is drifting towards the Oostakker section of Ghent and the commune of Lochristi.

Anouk Veyt, spokesperson for the Centrum rescue zone, stated that a fireboat and drones were deployed to assist in combating the fire. The origin of the blaze remains unknown at this time. The intensity of the smoke prompted authorities to issue Be-Alert messages to residents in affected areas.

An initial alert was sent to inhabitants of Ghent earlier in the day. Subsequently, another message was transmitted to residents of Lochristi as the smoke plume shifted. The scale of the operation highlights the challenges faced by emergency services in containing industrial fires, especially those involving large quantities of combustible materials like scrap metal.

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We have notably deployed a fireboat and drones.