Man, 60, Dies in Roeselare Bedroom Fire as Wife Is Rescued
A 60-year-old man died in a bedroom fire at a modest villa on Hoogleedsesteenweg in Roeselare, West Flanders, during the early hours of Wednesday morning. His 61-year-old wife was rescued by firefighters after becoming trapped inside the home.
The fire may not have been accidental, and a judicial investigation has been launched to determine exactly what happened.
Emergency services received a call at around 12:45 a.m. reporting a bedroom fire at the residence. The woman who lived at the home is believed to have raised the alarm.
“When we arrived, there was a significant amount of smoke, and we saw the woman standing behind a ground-floor window,” said firefighter captain Rob Nachtergaele.
The woman was unable to get out of the house on her own. Firefighters forced their way inside, allowing her to escape. She had been overcome by smoke and was taken to the hospital for treatment.
The fire was largely contained to the bedroom, but it was burning intensely.
“There was heavy smoke, including smoke coming from the mattress on the bed,” Nachtergaele explained. “Because the temperature became too high, our firefighters had to withdraw.”
Firefighters then worked from outside to lower the temperature inside the room. Once conditions improved, they were able to enter the bedroom again. They found the male resident inside, but it was too late to save him.
Investigation Underway
The exact cause of the fire remains unclear. Police secured the house as part of the investigation. According to people in the neighborhood, the rescued woman reportedly shouted after being evacuated that her husband had been “covered in gasoline.”
That statement has raised questions about whether the fire was deliberately started. However, investigators have not yet established exactly what happened inside the bedroom.
A judicial investigation is now underway.
“The investigating judge, the public prosecutor’s office, CSI, the forensic doctor and a fire expert came to the scene,” said Griet De Prest, a spokesperson for the West Flanders public prosecutor’s office.
“For the sake of the investigation, no further information will be communicated for now,” she added.
The Hoogleedsesteenweg was closed to traffic for several hours while investigators and emergency services worked at the scene. Because the incident happened during the night, the road closure caused limited disruption.
The investigation will now focus on determining how the fire started and what happened inside the bedroom before firefighters arrived.
