In full celebration of New Year, a fire destroyed a renowned church from Amsterdam, from the century XIX, which led to dozens of homes being evacuated the evening before New Year’s Eve. Luckily the accident left no casualties or injuries and the Causes of accidents They are being investigated.
The fire was reported around 1 a.m. in the historic building Vondelkerk Church, from 1872. According to the local news station US, The flames were concentrated in the approximately 50 meter high main tower of the historic building The firefighters only managed to fight the fire after 8 a.m.
As part of the operation, authorities evacuated dozens of houses near the church as there was a risk of collapse and spread of flames due to the huge amount of sparks and wooden objects thrown from the church.
A large part of the church roof collapsed, only the outer walls remained standing. After hours of work, firefighters declared the fire under control late this morning, ruling out the possibility of another collapse.
According to the fire department No casualties or injuries were reported and the causes of the fire are currently unknown. The building in question served as a Catholic church until 1977. It currently housed a concert hall and rented offices.
“Amsterdam has lost one of its most intimate monuments,” said the city’s mayor, Femke Halsema, emphasizing the church’s sentimental value to residents.
The fire comes amid a series of incidents that took place in the Netherlands last night, with two deaths from fireworks and several incidents of violence against police reported.
In this sense, the head of the Dutch police union Nine Kooiman condemned a wave of “unprecedented violence” against police and emergency services during the New Year celebrations.
She herself said she was hit by fireworks three times in Amsterdam and that in the city of Breda several people threw Molotov cocktails at officers.
In addition, two people, a 17-year-old minor and a 38-year-old man, died in accidents involving fireworks and three others were seriously injured.
Also in western Germany, in Bielefeld, there were two deaths due to the use of homemade pyrotechnic devices during New Year’s celebrations. The two 18-year-olds “uncontrollably activated self-made pyrotechnic devices” and “suffered fatal facial injuries,” said local police.
Police reported an unprecedented number of attacks on officers and emergency services, with explosives being thrown and arson being set in several cities.
According to the National Pyrotechnics Association, spending on fireworks in the country reached a record 129 million euros on the last night before the expected offensive against unauthorized fireworks.
With information from AFP and ANSA
About The Author
