U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Bill White said Cinquantenaire Park in Brussels is crystal clean after a lavish Independence Day celebration that some said may have been damaged.
"I have been to the park one hundred times over these last eight months. Cinquantenaire has never looked any cleaner than it was the day after we cleaned up after our event," White posted Friday on X.
He also noted, "We are in immediate contact with the Belgian company that was hired to coordinate all event logistics, including the fireworks company, for our event to celebrate 250 years of U.S. independence.
"We were informed that the company is proactively addressing any questions related to this matter with the appropriate agencies and will remediate where it is required."
More than 8,800 invited guests attended the America250 celebration, which featured a fireworks display beneath the arch at the Cinquantenaire and a gala at the park's Royal Museum of Art and History building, Politico reported.
But Belgium's Building Authority said in a statement to Politico that "fireworks debris was found on the roof, and certain limited areas of the roof appear blackened," adding that "analyses are still ongoing" before the agency could say how much repair work is needed.
Belgian Buildings Minister Vanessa Matz told Belgian broadcaster RTBF the agency is investigating "whether any damage is a consequence of the event or of last weekend's bad weather."
White said the event, which reportedly cost $5.7 million, was financed through donations from 220 Belgian and American companies, De Standaard reported.
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