Credit: LAR
Luxembourg Air Rescue (LAR) has reported that one of its helicopters was requested following a fire at the Kennedy tower in Liège, Belgium.
On the early afternoon of Monday 24 June 2024, a fire broke out in the basement of the Kennedy tower, a 27-storey building with nearly 220 apartments in Liège. Some of the residents were unable to leave the building, with many taking refuge on their balconies while waiting to be evacuated by firefighters.
As it was difficult for firefighters to access the upper floors, particularly because the ladders were not tall enough, the Belgian authorities called on the LAR intervention teams for assistance. Thus, LAR's rescue helicopter, equipped with a winch, was requisitioned to support the existing rescue services on-site.
Early in the evening, an LAR intervention team, in collaboration with the GRIMP (Groupe de reconnaissance et d’intervention en milieu périlleux) of the Grand Ducal Fire and Rescue Corps (CGDIS), specially trained in winching operations and composed of an experienced pilot, an LAR winch operator and a rescuer, took off from Luxembourg Airport in Findel and headed to Liège.
The Mayor of Liège later confirmed that at least one person had died in connection with the fire.
