On the sad evening of Thursday, July 13th, Bonheiden was plunged into deep mourning. One of the pigeon lofts belonging to the Cleirbaut-Samson duo was engulfed in flames.
The tragedy became even greater when it was discovered that all 200 pigeons residing in the lofts had perished in the fire.
The Cleirbaut – Samson combination consists of Eric Samson, who played with pigeons from Kris Cleirbaut at this location. It is all the more tragic considering that they had won 1st Provincial Vierzon just at the end of June. The fire brigade managed to bring the blaze under control after an hour, but by that time, both the lofts and the pigeons had already been lost. The cause of the fire is still unknown at this time.
Shortly before 9 p.m. on that Thursday evening, a fire broke out in the pigeon loft behind the house on Zwarte Leeuwstraat. The fire brigade was quickly called and arrived immediately. Although they had the fire under control in just under an hour, both the pigeon loft and the adjacent garden shed were heavily damaged. Unfortunately, the 200 pigeons, the pride and joy of Cleirbaut -Samson, did not survive the fire. The investigation into the cause of the fire is still ongoing. Rumors are circulating, but we will stick to the facts in this blog. Let us hope that after the ring clipping incident, it does not turn into an unbelievable and terrible expression of jealousy…
The pigeon loft, the epicenter of the tragedy, belonged to Kris Cleirbaut, a well-known figure in the pigeon world. Kris frequently participates in auctions, where his pigeons often fetch high prices. For example, at an auction in 2021, Cleirbaut sold thirteen of his pigeons at an average price of 8,000 euros. One of his top pigeons even fetched an astonishing 51,000 euros.
Unfortunately, the value of his pigeons has also made them a target for thieves. In 2012, Cleirbaut fell victim to a theft where 69 of his best pigeons were stolen. The loss of another 200 pigeons in this terrible fire is a heavy blow for Kris and his partner Eric.
How the fire started is still under investigation.
Source: www.jandewijs.online
