Two firefighters slightly hurt in Amsterdam-West house fire, 12 homes evacuated
A fire in the loft of an apartment block in Amsterdam's De Baarsjes district injured two firefighters and forced the evacuation of twelve homes on Monday.
Two firefighters were slightly injured on Monday morning while tackling a fire that broke out in the attic of an apartment block in the De Baarsjes district of Amsterdam-West, the Amsterdam-Amstelland safety region said. Twelve nearby homes were evacuated as a precaution.
The fire was discovered in the loft of a stairwell building on Columbusstraat at around 05:30. The two firefighters were overcome by heat that penetrated their protective suits while fighting the blaze; both were checked by ambulance staff at the scene and did not need hospital treatment, the safety region said.
Crews found the fire difficult to extinguish because it had spread into the building's walls, a fire service spokesperson told local broadcaster NH Nieuws. Firefighters drilled holes of five to ten centimetres into the outer walls to reach the flames, Het Parool reported. The blaze was brought under control by around 09:00, the safety region said.
One resident said he woke to a smoke alarm at around 05:50, saw smoke in the loft storage area, and banged on neighbours' doors to raise the alarm; all twelve households were safely outside within about fifteen minutes, residents told Het Parool.
Residents of the evacuated homes were temporarily sheltered in a nearby Albert Heijn supermarket. At least two flats, on the third floor directly below the loft where the fire started, were declared uninhabitable, while residents of four homes on the nearby Columbusplein were allowed back around 09:30. It was not yet clear when people from the worst-affected building could return home.
A woman from one of the uninhabitable flats said she was shaken by the night's events but relieved that everyone had got out unharmed, and that she had been able to retrieve some of her belongings before leaving, Het Parool reported.
Officials said there was extensive fire and water damage, and crews were continuing demolition and mopping-up work on Monday to make sure nothing was still burning. The cause of the fire had not yet been established. The safety region said it would take further steps in the coming days to assess when residents of the worst-affected flats might be able to return.
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What we know
- Official · Amsterdam-Amstelland safety region A fire broke out in the loft of an apartment block on Columbusstraat, Amsterdam-West, at around 05:30 on Monday.
- Official · Amsterdam-Amstelland safety region Two firefighters were slightly injured by heat that penetrated their protective suits; neither needed hospital treatment.
- Official · Amsterdam-Amstelland safety region Twelve homes were evacuated and residents sheltered in a nearby supermarket.
- Official · Amsterdam-Amstelland safety region The blaze was under control by around 09:00; its cause is not yet known.
How each fact is established: Verified checked by an ECTV editorOfficial stated by an official body2+ outlets reported independently by two or more news organisations1 outlet reported by a single news organisation so farUnconfirmed claimed or reportedHow we label facts
Figure history
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Why it matters for Europe
The fire shows how a blaze that spreads unseen inside a building's walls can be far harder to tackle: firefighters had to drill holes through the outer walls to reach flames they could not otherwise access, and the heat still penetrated their protective suits.
Sources
Reported by 3 reports from 3 independent outlets in 2 countries.
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Intelligence file
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Confidence and impact scores, the full situation report and the event timeline.
Questions and answers
- Where did the fire break out?
- In the loft of an apartment block on Columbusstraat in Amsterdam's De Baarsjes district, in the city's West borough.
- Were the firefighters seriously hurt?
- No, both were treated at the scene for heat exposure and did not need hospital treatment, the safety region said.
- How many people were evacuated?
- Twelve households were evacuated as a precaution; at least two flats were later declared uninhabitable.
This article was written with AI assistance from 3 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.