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A fierce fire at a waffle factory cloaked part of Brussels in dense black smoke, disrupted road and rail traffic and forced the evacuation of nearby factories and a school.

The midday blaze at the Milcamps factory producing the trademark Belgian waffles originated in the cooling system and quickly spread. There were no reports of injuries.

The national rail company said a major link through the capital had to be closed off, creating traffic chaos as the evening rush hour approached.