28 apartments were damaged by the fire on Monday in one of the so-called Heiningen flats in Bergen op Zoom. This is stated by a spokesperson for the Central and West Brabant Safety Region.
The spokesperson does not expect that all residents of the 28 damaged apartments will be able to return to their homes today, but a large number will. “Some apartments are really seriously damaged. Others only have smoke damage. That needs to be cleaned properly,” she explains.
The fire broke out on Monday morning in an apartment on the fourth floor and quickly spread via the balcony to the adjacent apartments and two apartments above. From there, the fire spread to a total of 28 apartments. The affected building has 120 apartments.
Suspect
The resident of the apartment where the fire broke out was the only one home at the time. His apartment burned down completely. He was seriously injured and was taken to the hospital in Rotterdam under police escort. The resident is suspected of arson.
The fire was extinguished from the inside. The entire apartment building was evacuated for this purpose. It was also checked whether any pets were still present. More than fifty emergency workers were deployed.
Aftercare
The fire brigade also deployed a drone from the Digital Reconnaissance Team. This helped to check possible sources of smoke and fire. The fire brigade is still conducting a further investigation at the beginning of the afternoon. It will then be checked for each column of apartments whether residents can return.
The evacuated residents were sheltered in the Gageldonk sports hall. Employees of the GGD and volunteers from the Red Cross are also there. The air raid siren in Bergen op Zoom did not go off on Monday to avoid causing additional unrest.
