Grimbergen (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – On Saturday, Sep 20, 2025, a tree fell on Spaanse Lindebaan in Grimbergen, blocking traffic near councillor Ann Selleslagh’s home; firefighters cleared it, and Mayor Bart Laeremans confirmed an investigation.
As VRT News reported, at approximately 12:30 p.m. on September 20, 2025, a large tree fell on Spaanse Lindebaan in the Grimbergen area of Flemish Brabant in Belgium. The tree fell directly in front of the house of Ann Selleslagh, a local councillor of the Open VLD party and the daughter of the former Mayor Chris Selleslagh.
The Spaanse Lindebaan is a major road that links the centre of Grimbergen to the highway toward Vilvoorde. Witnesses said the fall was sudden and caused an immediate disruption in the neighbourhood.
“I’m glad I wasn’t there and no one else was when the tree fell, otherwise there would have been casualties here,”
Chris Selleslagh says.
“The tree is across the entire street and luckily just missed our house. The entire backyard and patio were destroyed.”
What caused the tree to fall on Spaanse Lindebaan in Grimbergen?
The fire department arrived quickly and began clearing the tree.
“The fire department cleared the road as quickly as possible,”
Selleslagh said. No one was reported injured, and the situation did not cause damage beyond the blockage. Traffic was able to move again after the fire department removed the tree.
The reason the tree fell is still unknown. Mayor Bart Laeremans of Renewal said, “There have been reports of some trees in the area that may pose a risk.” Authorities plan to investigate what caused the tree to fall. They will also check if other trees need attention to prevent future accidents.
Grimbergen has experienced similar incidents involving fallen trees before. In 2015, a large tree fell on a vehicle and caused substantial damage to the vehicle; however, there were no injuries. Officials stated that incidents like these raised concerns about the’ safety in the municipality and put officials on notice to examine the status of older trees and those that could be considered unsafe.
Brussels Morning 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.
