Large car scrapyard fire in Zoetermeer sends four to hospital

A very large fire broke out at a car scrapyard in Zoetermeer, Netherlands, early on Saturday, prompting an NL-Alert telling nearby residents to keep windows and doors shut because of heavy smoke, broadcaster NOS reported.

The fire at the yard on Bleiswijkseweg broke out at around 06:50; four people were taken to hospital as a precaution after inhaling smoke, a fire service spokesman said. Firefighters scaled up quickly, calling in five fire engines, an aerial platform and reinforcements from brigades including Rijswijk and De Lier, broadcaster RTL Nieuws reported.

People affected by smoke elsewhere in the area were told to stay indoors, close their windows and doors and switch off ventilation systems, and to stay away from the fire scene so emergency crews could work, RTL Nieuws reported.

Homes next to the scrapyard, which sits beside a caravan site, were evacuated. Some residents resisted, and the mood turned hostile; police intervened and used batons to keep people back, NOS reported. Officers arrested two people on suspicion of insulting behaviour; one of them was examined by ambulance staff after being stopped by police.

Residents wanted to go towards the business but were kept back because it was too dangerous, according to NOS. The wind later shifted, spreading smoke over a wider area. "The fire is not yet out, but it is not spreading further," a fire service spokesman told RTL Nieuws, adding that the smoke had eased significantly by the afternoon.

The cause of the fire has not yet been established. It is thought to have involved scrapped cars at the yard, RTL Nieuws reported.

A neighbour told broadcaster Omroep West this was the second fire at the business, after a blaze destroyed it in February last year that was suspected to have been arson.