On the night of July 22, 2020, a large fire broke out in one of the buildings siding the main terminal of Liege-Bierset Airport (LGG), Belgium.
The fire started in the building B30 between the passenger terminal and the fuel storage area. The structure was used as a storage area by two companies: Aéroservices, an air handling company, and Western Global, a U.S.-based cargo airline. More than forty firefighters were deployed to control the fire, which was finally extinguished in the early morning. Because of the smoke, six flights were forced to divert.
incendie à l’aéroport de Bierset en ce moment, pompiers sur place #aéroport #Liège pic.twitter.com/DQEnwgcc5c
— Dans Anne-Marie (@DansMarie) July 22, 2020
“Much of the hangar, which mainly contained equipment and offices, was destroyed,” said Christian Delcourt, the communication manager of Liege airport. The damage was limited to the building itself, no aircraft were affected. However, as a precaution, planes in the nearby maintenance hangar were still towed away. No injuries were reported. At the moment, the cause of the fire is unknown. Flights resumed normally in the morning.
Liege-Bierset is one of the largest European cargo airports. It is also used for commercial flights. During the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, the airport was selected by the World Health Organization as the European hub to distribute medical supplies.