BWI Belgian affiliate ACV-BIE reports the death of six workers in OXY tower construction site fire in Brussels on 14 July 2026. Around 250 workers had to be evacuated from the site. The BWI extends its solidarity towards the Belgian workers, their families, and the trade union organisations in these difficult times.

Among the workers who were found dead, five Belgians, including an electrician of Moroccan origin, and a Romanian posted worker. These workers were between 23 and 46 years old. Four of them worked for the same subcontractor, layer two is reported.

The building was undergoing renovation. The work was taking place at the time of the fire since the site was not to be interrupted during the summer break. It seems that a fire initially under control first spread to an elevator shaft before becoming very violent and spreading to the lower floors.

The workers on the site respected the evacuation instructions. Very shocked, they were rapidly taken care of medically and psychologically.

Once again, this fire is a reminder that safety and well-being at work must remain a top priority.

In the first hours after the fire, trade union representatives went to the site to provide support to the workers and to assess their needs. The King and the Prime Minister, who were also on the site, praised the remarkable work of the emergency services, which intervened rapidly under particularly difficult circumstances.

The Belgian trade union organisations involved remain mobilised alongside the workers and their families during the ongoing investigation which will determine the origin of the fire.

A trade union commemoration will be held on July 17 at 11 a.m.

ENGIE employees were planning to move in few months to OXY Tower.  The building was in line with ENGIE's ambition to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045 by using the latest energy efficiency technologies and the local production of renewable energy via solar panels and green electricity.

Cordeel Group is the main contractor on the site.