BRUSSELS, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Two people were killed and eight others injured in a fire that broke out early Sunday morning in a residential building in Schaerbeek, in the Brussels-Capital Region.

Two of the injured were in serious condition and all eight were taken to hospitals across the region, according to a joint statement issued by the municipality of Schaerbeek and the Brussels Fire Brigade.

The exact cause of the blaze remains unknown. The public prosecutor's office has been notified and has appointed a laboratory team and an expert to examine the scene and determine the circumstances of the fire.

Schaerbeek acting Mayor Martin de Brabant activated the municipal emergency phase. Municipal services were mobilized to receive evacuated residents and provide temporary accommodation where necessary.

"The municipality and the emergency services are working together to provide everyone with the necessary medical, psychosocial and material assistance," De Brabant and a Brussels Fire Brigade spokesperson said.