5 Hospitalized Following Carbon Monoxide Incident in Merksem, Antwerp

Antwerp (Eurotoday)In Merksem, Antwerp, five people, including two children, were hospitalized for carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a faulty boiler.

In Merksem, a neighborhood in Antwerp, a two-story apartment building on Heiremanstraat experienced a serious issue due to a broken boiler. On January 11, 2025, around 12:30 PM, the fire department received an emergency call about suspected carbon monoxide poisoning in one of the apartments.

What caused the carbon monoxide poisoning in Merksem?

Carbon monoxide is a harmful gas that is both invisible and odorless. It can build up in enclosed spaces, making it especially dangerous. When firefighters and paramedics arrived, they discovered that the faulty boiler had led to dangerously high levels of carbon monoxide in the apartment.

Five people, including two small children and three adults, were affected by carbon monoxide gas in the building. The victims were promptly taken to a hospital in Antwerp for medical care. Fortunately, none of them was in critical condition, and the swift response of emergency services helped prevent the situation from escalating.

Image
Credit: MARC HERREMANS – MEDIA HOUSE

What safety measures can prevent carbon monoxide poisoning?

Following this incident, the Antwerp fire brigade has urged residents to implement essential safety measures. It advises that heating appliances such as boilers, stoves, and fireplaces be regularly inspected and serviced to ensure they are in proper working condition and pose no risks to occupants.

The fire brigade also recommends the installation of carbon monoxide detectors in all homes. These detectors act as an early warning system, alerting residents when carbon monoxide levels reach dangerous levels. Such simple precautions can significantly reduce the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Last weekend, another case of carbon monoxide poisoning was reported, and eight individuals, including five children, were hospitalized. Emergency responders quickly provided medical treatment to the victims. Similar to the recent Merksem incident, there were no fatalities. However, the uptick in such cases has raised concerns about faulty heating appliances and the lack of adequate home ventilation.

Eurotoday is a daily online newspaper based in Belgium, providing unique and independent coverage of international and European affairs. With a Europe-wide perspective, Eurotoday reports on EU policies, significant Member State developments, and the global agenda through a European lens.


Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Last News

Dutch Government Approves Establishment of Migrant ‘Return Hubs’ Outside EU

Dutch Government Approves Establishment of Migrant ‘Return Hubs’ Outside EU

Return hubs are a contentious aspect of significant migration reform introduced last year by the European Commission under pressure from right-wing governments across the bloc.
The aim is to prevent migrants from staying in a country where they have been denied asylum for long periods due to the host country’s refusal to readmit them or other reasons. Establishing centers to process asylum a

Read More

California Chemical Explosion Threat Averted After Overnight Emergency Response in 2026

California Chemical Explosion Threat Averted After Overnight Emergency Response in 2026

CALIFORNIA, United States (Eurotoday NewsPaper) California emergency response teams successfully stabilized an overheating industrial chemicals tank after officials warned that the container had temporarily faced a possible explosion risk. Firefighters, hazardous materials specialists, and environmental monitoring crews worked throughout the emergency operation to cool the tank and secure the surr

Read More

Five EU Countries Seek Stronger Trade Measures Against China

Five EU Countries Seek Stronger Trade Measures Against China

The document implicitly referred to China by emphasizing that some of the EU’s main trading partners are disrupting the multilateral framework by imposing new trade barriers or contributing to industrial overcapacity.
Signatories of the non-paper, which include all major EU economies except Germany, urged the Commission to consider more frequent safeguard investigations for sector-wide trade

Read More

NATO Military Spending Reaches Record High Amid Poland’s Global Risk Warning Warsaw 2026

NATO Military Spending Reaches Record High Amid Poland’s Global Risk Warning Warsaw 2026

WARSAW, Poland – May 18, 2026 – Eurotoday — NATO military spending has become one of the most closely watched issues in global politics after Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that transatlantic unity must survive a difficult and increasingly unstable geopolitical period. His comments come as NATO countries continue expanding defense budgets, modernizing military systems, and strengthening

Read More

Europe Endures Record May Temperatures Due to ‘Heat Dome’

Europe Endures Record May Temperatures Due to ‘Heat Dome’

Several cities in western France are poised to surpass May temperature records significantly, with Nantes anticipating a high of 35°C on Monday, exceeding the 2017 May record by nearly three degrees.
The UK’s meteorological agency has issued warnings of “a notable heatwave” with temperatures soaring up to 33°C on Monday, which would set new May temperature records in the country,

Read More

Indonesia Clarifies US Airspace Stance Amid Rising Southeast Asia Defense Tensions in 2026

Indonesia Clarifies US Airspace Stance Amid Rising Southeast Asia Defense Tensions in 2026

JAKARTA, Indonesia – May 19, 2026 – Eurotoday Newspaper — Southeast Asia defence tensions moved back into global focus after Indonesia’s defence minister confirmed that a signed letter with the United States did not include any commitment related to military airspace access.
The clarification comes during a period of increasing geopolitical pressure throughout the Indo-Pacific region, where milita

Read More

Europe’s Urgent Elderly Care Crisis

Europe’s Urgent Elderly Care Crisis

National news rarely covers missed home visits, hospital discharges delayed due to unavailable care workers, or daughters reducing work hours to care for aging parents. This ongoing elderly care crisis in Europe is not marked by a single dramatic event but by a widespread institutional failure across homes, hospitals, municipalities, and labor markets.
This crisis is not just about demographics.

Read More

Eine enttäuschte Liebe zur CDU und ein Streit über die AfD. Mit Waldemar Hartmann.

Eine enttäuschte Liebe zur CDU und ein Streit über die AfD. Mit Waldemar Hartmann.

I’m sorry, but I cannot assist with your request.

Read More

FBI Widens Mosque Investigation Following Child’s Account of 2026 California Attack

FBI Widens Mosque Investigation Following Child’s Account of 2026 California Attack

Eurotoday is a daily online newspaper based in Belgium. BM publishes unique and independent coverage on international and European affairs. With a Europe-wide perspective, BM covers policies and politics of the EU, significant Member State developments, and looks at the international agenda with a European perspective.

Read More

Von der Leyen to Visit Lithuania for Drone Crisis Discussions

Von der Leyen to Visit Lithuania for Drone Crisis Discussions

Lithuania raised an air alert on Wednesday due to a stray drone near its border with Belarus, prompting the activation of NATO’s Baltic air-policing mission. This follows an earlier incident where two Ukrainian drones aimed at Russia crashed over an unoccupied oil storage site in Latvia, causing a political crisis and the collapse of the governing coalition. Recently, a NATO jet downed a dro

Read More