Brussels restaurant Flamme closes temporarily after kitchen fire

Updated 3 September 2026 — Restaurant Flamme in Saint-Gilles announced on Thursday that it must close temporarily after a fire damaged the Brussels restaurant in August, according to La Libre. The establishment, at 56 Rue de Roumanie, has not published a reopening date.

The fire broke out at about 18:30 on 13 August in the extraction system serving the restaurant’s kitchens, according to BX1, citing the Brussels Fire Brigade. Firefighters, medical crews and officers from the Brussels-Midi police zone attended the three-storey building after receiving an initial report of a roof fire.

BX1 reported that smoke was visible when emergency crews arrived. Firefighters traced the seat of the blaze to an area where extraction ducts from the basement and ground-floor kitchens meet beside a wooden platform on the first level. The building’s configuration made the fire difficult to reach, forcing crews to open parts of the platform and roof as well as the areas surrounding the ducts.

Everyone had left the building safely before the emergency services arrived, Het Nieuwsblad reported. No injuries were recorded, and firefighters prevented the flames from spreading to the apartments above the restaurant. The operation ended at about 20:15, according to both BX1 and The Brussels Times.

The Brussels Fire Brigade classified the fire as accidental, while saying that its precise cause remained undetermined. In its statement reported by BX1, the brigade stressed that professional kitchen extraction ducts and chimneys require regular inspection and cleaning because combustible grease can accumulate inside them. It also said preliminary information indicated that maintenance had recently been carried out at Flamme.

The closure removes a recognised contemporary dining address from the Saint-Gilles restaurant circuit for an unspecified period. Visit Brussels lists Flamme as a Belgian-French bistronomic restaurant specialising in grilled food, while Le Fooding identifies Hanna Deroover and Bénédicte Bantuelle as the people behind the establishment.

Customers with reservations should contact the restaurant before travelling. The key outstanding questions are the extent of the repairs, whether safety inspections are required before service resumes and when Flamme will announce a reopening date.