In case of fire

Three escape routes.
Photographic walkthrough.

Read this once when you arrive. It takes five minutes and might matter on a day none of us wants to think about.

If there is a fire: dial 112 first (works on any Belgian network), then leave. Don’t fight the fire unless it’s small and you can do it in one safe attempt with the extinguisher in the entrance hall.

Steenokkerzeelstraat 126, 1930 Zaventem 1st floor

Meeting point

For everyone, all routes: under the balconies on the opposite side of Steenokkerzeelstraat, in front of the building. Visible from the street, safe distance from any facade fire, easy for emergency services to find.

Route 1A

Main route — front door

The route you would normally use to leave the building. Out of the apartment, down the common stairs, out the main door, onto Steenokkerzeelstraat.

  1. Open the apartment door and step into the common stairwell on the 1st floor.
  2. Go down the stairs. Green pictograms point the way.
  3. At ground floor you arrive in the main entrance hall. Signs show the main door straight ahead, and an alternative through the veranda to the left (Route 1B, below).
  4. Open the main building door. Push the centre button on the lock for auto-unlock, OR turn the upper round knob counter-clockwise to unlock manually. It takes more than one full turn — keep going. The knob will stop turning when the door is unlocked.
  5. Out onto Steenokkerzeelstraat. Cross the street to the meeting point under the balconies opposite.
Hand opening the apartment door from inside, brass thumb-turn handle.
Open the apartment door and step into the stairwell.
Stairwell with green Exit pictogram pointing downward, white-painted spindle balustrade, daylight window at the half-landing.
Green signs guide you down the stairs.
Ground floor entrance hall, signs showing main door and alternative direction.
Ground floor: main door straight ahead, or veranda alternative to the left.
Main building door from inside, glazed top panel with green Exit pictogram.
Main building door — push the centre button, or turn the upper knob counter-clockwise.
Close-up of the main door lock, centre push-button and round upper knob visible.
Lock detail — centre button to release automatically, upper round knob counter-clockwise (more than one full turn) for manual unlock.
View from the main door looking out onto Steenokkerzeelstraat.
Step out onto Steenokkerzeelstraat.
Steenokkerzeelstraat showing the meeting point under the balconies opposite.
Meeting point: under the balconies on the opposite side of the street.
Main building door seen from the street side.
Main building door, seen from the street.
Route 1B

Alternative ground-floor exit (through the veranda)

Use this if the main building door is blocked. Same upper path as Route 1A, but at the ground floor turn the other way.

  1. Same trajectory as Route 1A down to the ground floor.
  2. At ground floor, instead of heading for the main door, follow the green pictograms turning the other way: through the veranda, then through the garden door into the garden.
  3. Through the garden, into the garage.
  4. The garage opens onto the neighbour’s interior courtyard. The owner has a right of passage there (he owns two garages in that courtyard).
  5. Through the courtyard and out via the wall opening or the car driveway → public street.
  6. Walk round to the meeting point.
Ground-floor corridor leading from the entrance hall toward the veranda.
Through the ground-floor corridor toward the veranda.
Veranda door opening onto the garden.
Veranda door — through to the garden.
Rear garden between the veranda and the garage.
Cross the garden toward the garage.
Inside the garage, walk-through path with emergency lighting.
Through the garage — emergency lighting in place.
Neighbour's interior courtyard with the passage to the public street.
Neighbour’s interior courtyard → passage or driveway to the street.
Route 2

Bedroom window — emergency exit

Use this only if the stairwell itself is unsafe (smoke or fire on the stairs). The bedroom window opens onto a permanent steel escape staircase mounted on the rear of the building.

  1. Open the bedroom window. Standard mode opens one side. For the full opening, pull the centre red lever — both sides will swing open.
  2. Step over the sill, or use the small folding step-ladder kept beside the window as a climbing aid.
  3. You’re now on the terrace.
  4. Descend the external steel ladder fixed to the wall. The perpendicular wall provides side support — no slipping risk.
  5. At ground level, take the 4 steps down to the garage.
  6. Through the garage (emergency lighting in place) → into the neighbour’s interior courtyard.
  7. Out via the courtyard → public street. Walk round to the meeting point.
Bedroom showing the green Exit pictograms pointing to the emergency window.
Emergency signs in the bedroom point to the escape window.
Bedroom window in the open position, full double-leaf opening.
Bedroom window in the open position.
Close-up of the red centre lever that releases both window leaves.
Red centre lever — pull to release both leaves for the full opening.
Folding step-stool stored beside the bedroom window.
Folding step-stool, kept beside the window as a climbing aid.
View from the bedroom window onto the rear terrace.
You arrive on the terrace.
Black powder-coated steel external escape ladder, fixed to the rear facade.
External steel ladder — descend to ground level.
Four steps down to the garage entrance, with directional signage.
Take the 4 steps down to the garage entrance.
Inside the garage with emergency lighting visible.
Through the garage — emergency lighting in place.
Close-up of the thumb-turn cylinder lock on the inside of the garage door.
Garage door — thumb-turn lock on the inside.
Hand pushing the door knob to the right to release the lock.
Push the knob to the right.
Hand rotating and pushing the door forward, the garage door swinging open.
Then rotate and push forward — the door opens.
Garage door opening onto the neighbour's interior courtyard.
Garage opens onto the neighbour’s interior courtyard.
View from the courtyard out to the public street.
Out to the public street → walk round to the meeting point.
Routes 1B and 2 meet at the garage. Same exit, two independent paths to reach it. If you’ve come down via the bedroom window and the trap, you’ll cross the garage and the neighbour’s courtyard the same way as a guest who took Route 1B through the veranda.

What’s where in the apartment

Emergency numbers

Tap to call