19 apartments above a parking basement of an apartment complex in Breda are uninhabitable for the time being. A fierce fire raged in the garage on Wednesday evening. The fire caused a lot of damage to the ceiling construction. As a result, residents are not allowed to go home for the time being.
It is still unclear how long the residents of the 19 uninhabitable apartments cannot go home. Housing association Laurentius will clarify this later Friday. It is certain that it does not depend on cleaning, but on how the construction of the building is after the fire.
Two days later, the traces of the fire can still be clearly seen and smelled. There is a strong burning smell both inside and outside the building on Monseigneur Zwijsenstraat. The corridors in the complex are still dirty and you can see traces of soot everywhere.
Construction damage
Letters from housing association Laurentius hang on the doors of the apartments directly above the parking garage. These houses may not be entered without permission, it says in bold letters. “The fire has caused a lot of structural damage to the ceiling of the parking garage. This damage has consequences for all apartments above the parking garage.”
Outside, cleaners were busy on Friday afternoon with a cherry picker and high-pressure sprayer to get the facade and balconies free of soot again. The thick clouds of smoke from the garage and ventilation ducts have left a thick black trail.
Was lucky
Natalie was lucky. She lives in the apartment complex, but a little further from the parking basement. “The closer you live to the garage, the greater the smoke damage,” she says. “I was lucky, because the apartments directly above are uninhabitable for the time being.” She herself was allowed back into her home on Thursday morning.
Still, Nathalie still needs a lot of cleaning. “I have already started myself and a specialized cleaning company will also come to help.” The fire also caused damage to the technical installation of the apartment complex. For example, the resident has no internet and no running water. “We can bring free bottled water downstairs in the hall.”
The residents do support each other and regularly have a chat. Because where some people just come back with their suitcases and things and start cleaning, others are busy packing because they can’t go home for the time being.
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